AMMAN, Jordan: An Iran attack on Jordan damaged several U.S. military aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base this week, including an A-10 Thunderbolt II and about eight F-15 fighter jets.
A U.S. official told Reuters that the A-10 suffered serious damage, while the F-15s sustained lighter damage and returned to service.
Iranian strikes damaged an A-10 and about eight F-15 aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, according to a U.S. official cited by Reuters. US aircraft damaged a Patriot missile stockpile, CBS News reported.
The attack followed U.S. strikes on five Iranian crude oil tankers. Washington said those strikes came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps twice targeted a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles.
The U.S. official said American forces fired roughly 30 Patriot interceptors to counter the Iranian missiles. The expenditure has added to concerns about how quickly the conflict is consuming high-end U.S. air-defence munitions.
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The Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimated in July that the United States had used about 65% of its prewar Patriot interceptor inventory.
It said rebuilding stocks of Patriot, THAAD and Tomahawk missiles could take several years. U.S. forces in Jordan launched more than 30 Patriot missiles in defence against Iranian strikes in Jordan.
CBS News previously reported that U.S. officials are concerned about the rapidly declining stockpile of Patriot missiles and other precision munitions.
