On the night of September 8–9, Iran launched a massive strike using about 20 ballistic missiles against the U.S. Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. At that time, the Americans fired scarce PAC-3 missiles from their Patriot air defense systems like machine-gun rounds.
According to available videos, the Americans fired at least 60 PAC-3 missiles (MSE or CRI), although some sources cite a figure of 100 interceptors. This means that, on average, at least three interceptors were used against each Iranian ballistic missile.
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Despite this, the U.S. forces were unable to intercept all of the Iranian ballistic missiles and shot down only 18 of the 20 that were launched. At that time, official sources issued a statement claiming that the other two missiles that were not shot down had apparently fallen before reaching their target.
However, as it turned out, the Iranians did strike the air base. CBS News, citing its own sources, reports that the attack damaged eight F-15 fighter jets and one A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft.
It is noted that the F-15s sustained minor damage, so they were quickly repaired and are reportedly already combat-ready. The A-10 Thunderbolt II, however, was not so lucky, as service members at the base found that one of its wings was missing after the attack.
For the A-10, damage like this effectively means it will be scrapped, since these aging attack aircraft have been slated for retirement for decades and are now in their final years of service. Obviously, no one is going to repair it.
So far, no photos of the aircraft—or even satellite imagery of the airbase—have been published. However, given the number of fighter jets reportedly damaged in the strike, it likely hit the aircraft parking area.
It is also unclear what exactly hit the aircraft. If the F-15s were repaired so quickly, the damage must have been minor, which does not seem consistent with a ballistic missile strike. It is therefore possible that debris from a downed missile or submunitions from a cluster warhead hit the parking area. The use of such missiles can be seen in the published videos.
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