The "downed pilot" was a fake cover story for a failed US military operation to capture Iran’s primary stockpile of highly enriched 60% uranium, roughly 440–970 pounds. The primary uranium stockpile is located at Isfahan, the same area where the pilot was "lost".

This explains why the US heavily bombed the area while "searching" and why the C-130s were supposedly destroyed without loss of life. The C-130s were hit on the ground while the special forces attempted to secure the material. The entire operation quickly became a massive rescue operation to extract the soldiers.

Scale of this mission was quite large considering the sheer volume of aircraft & helicopters lost including heavy lift assets like the C-130J Commando units for a "snatch-and-grab" of enriched uranium stockpiles. The 160th SOAR's helicopters, MH-47 Chinook, and MH-6 Little Birds that were on site would have extracted the pilot. It is unpractical to land two C-130J for a pilot extraction. It makes more sense that they would transport specialized ground units like Delta Force or Navy SEALs (DEVGRU), who are specifically trained for "Pathway Defeat" and the handling of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).

According to one retired Special Operations Officer; it is evident that the aircraft used in this operation were NOT the standard C-130 Hercules model, which have 4-blade, steel propellers. The fixed-wing aircraft used were the MC-130J, Commando II, operated by the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command for clandestine operations. The MC-130J uses six-bladed Dowty R391 composite propellers. These blades are constructed from composite materials, specifically featuring a carbon fiber structure rather than the metal (aluminum) used on older C-130 models. It is probable that the aircraft were not shot down, nor crash landed, and the propellers do indicate burning and melting, not a crash. It is a solid theory that the the "rescue operation" expanded to become the desired Delta Force, JSOC, SOF, ST-6 high-risk operation to ALSO seize the uranium in Iran; hence the need for so many operators, support, aircraft, etc. This WAS intended to be that operation. It failed. It is likely that the aircraft took hits upon entry and also likely took hits and damage while on the ground at the hasty FARP at the old airfield in Isfahan, "conveniently" close to where the suspected uranium may have been stored.

By Markus Twainer