U.S. Marines Practice FARP Deployments as Iran Rescue Mission Reveals Strategic Risks

The successful extraction of a downed F-15 weapons system officer from deep inside Iran exposed both the U.S. military’s capability to rapidly deploy improvised airfields and the steep operational risks such missions entail. The operation, which required establishing a forward arming and refueling point (FARP) in mountainous terrain near Isfahan, involved hundreds of special operations troops, dozens of aircraft, and a 24-hour evasion by the injured airman who climbed a 7,000-foot ridge line before Navy SEAL Team 6 reached him. However, the mission also resulted in the loss of up to seven aircraft, including two stranded C-130s that had to be destroyed to prevent capture, along with small helicopters left behind at the site.