The US Senate Armed Services Committee is reviewing a provision in the 2027 defense budget to fund the replacement of two MC‑130J Commando II aircraft and several MH‑6 Little Bird helicopters that were destroyed during a rescue operation for an F‑15E crew deep inside Iran. According to reports, the aircraft were deployed in April 2026 for a search‑and‑rescue mission, but when extraction became impossible, US forces demolished them to prevent sensitive equipment from falling into hostile hands. The budget proposal aims to allocate money for new aircraft to restore the lost capability.