On April 5th, in the early morning, the United States announced that the U.S. military special forces penetrated deep into enemy territory in Iran and successfully rescued the missing crew members of the F-15E fighter jet. The rescue operation was thrilling, showcasing the high level of coordination among the elite combat forces of the U.S. military. At the same time, the direct losses exceeded $400 million, sparking discussions among Chinese netizens.
On April 3rd, a U.S. F-15E fighter jet was shot down in Iranian airspace, and two crew members ejected to safety. One pilot was rescued on the same day while the other crew member went missing.
President Trump of the U.S. temporarily suspended some other major military operations in Iran to prioritize search and rescue efforts. He dispatched hundreds of special forces personnel to participate in the search and focused on locating the distressed crew members’ beacons.
Just past midnight on April 4th, Trump posted on the “Truth Social” platform, saying, “We rescued him! Under my direction, the U.S. military deployed dozens of aircraft equipped with the world’s most deadly weapons to rescue him. He is injured, but everything will be fine.”
According to reports, the U.S. incurred significant losses during the two-day rescue operation, including one A-10 “Thunderbolt” attack aircraft worth approximately $18.8 million, two C-130 “Hercules” transport planes valued at around $150 to $200 million, one MH-6 “Little Bird” unmanned helicopter costing about $7.5 million, and two MQ-9 “Reaper” drones totaling $60 million.
Retired General Frank McKenzie of the U.S. Central Command told CBS News that although the U.S. lost several aircraft in this mission, “It takes one year to build an airplane—and it takes two hundred years to establish a military tradition that does not abandon any comrade.”
The news of the U.S. rescue mission costing $400 million also stirred discussion among Chinese netizens.
Weibo influencer “Data Collection” questioned, “Would the Russians be willing to spend $400 million to rescue a pilot?”
Literature blogger and Weibo influencer “Zhai Defang” raised a query, “The U.S. military’s rescue of the pilot, aside from not considering the costs incurred by deploying hundreds of special forces personnel and dozens of military aircraft, just the military assets damaged by the U.S. in the operation exceed $400 million. With such a significant investment to rescue two pilots trapped in Iran, what does this signify?”
Netizens chimed in with comments such as, “The priority should be on protecting our own people,” “Respecting life in this manner will make soldiers and citizens love their country even more,” “This is good, aligning with the traditional American values.”
“Some real human-centered actions, unlike in India where they just use the people’s banner,” “Different materials, one is called a person, the other is called a cost,” “It shows they are too foolish, not to shout ‘fire at me’ on the radio,” “A stark contrast to some people in certain places who are unworthy of being called human.”