Newly released satellite images show Iran cordoning off a makeshift airfield established by the US, implementing measures to prevent the enemy from reusing the facility.

Satellite images taken by Airbus on April 10th and analyzed by CNN on April 14th show charred remains at the makeshift airfield in Isfahan province, central Iran. This is the location established by US forces to assemble and evacuate special forces and F-15E fighter pilots during the rescue operation on April 5th.

The images show that most of the aircraft wreckage at the eastern end of the 1,200-meter runway, including MC-130J special operations transport aircraft and AH/MH-6 helicopters, has been removed. Iran has erected an earthen perimeter around the wreckage, a move that the US-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) believes is aimed at preventing outsiders from observing the cleanup and recovery operations.

The runway has a series of crash marks or mounds of earth, seemingly created by Iran to prevent future use of the facility by adversaries.

Satellite image of a US-built airfield in Isfahan province, Iran, on April 10. Photo: Airbus

"This is noteworthy, as the runway is relatively close to the Isfahan Nuclear Complex. This move will complicate any ground operations aimed at seizing the highly enriched uranium stockpile located in the underground bunkers there," ISIS stated.

Iranian and US officials have not commented on the image.

OSINTWarfare, an open-source intelligence monitoring account on social media, previously posted a video of Iranian soldiers next to what is believed to be a relatively intact laser emitter belonging to the AN/AAQ-24(V) system, also known as the Large Infrared Countermeasures System (LAIRCM), equipped on the MC-130J special operations transport aircraft.

Developed by Northrop Grumman, LAIRCM can detect missiles targeting aircraft, warn the flight crew, and emit a high-energy laser beam to disable the infrared seeker, essentially "blinding" the missile.

A US F-15E multirole fighter jet was shot down on April 3rd while on a combat mission in Iran. The front-deck pilot was immediately evacuated, while the weapons control officer in the rear cockpit had to climb a mountainside at an altitude of approximately 2,100 meters to evade pursuit by Iranian militias. He took refuge in a ravine and his location was identified by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The US then mobilized hundreds of elite soldiers and special forces personnel, along with dozens of aircraft, to rescue the trapped serviceman in Iran. After reaching their target, they withdrew to a makeshift airfield to board planes and leave Iran. However, two MC-130J special operations transport aircraft experienced problems and were unable to take off, forcing US commanders to deploy reserve aircraft to evacuate the serviceman in stages.

Reuters, citing unnamed U.S. officials, reported that special forces destroyed six aircraft, including two MC-130J transport planes and four helicopters, to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands. U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces destroyed two planes stuck in the sand, adding that Washington used three helicopters in the rescue operation.

Meanwhile, the Iranian military claimed its forces shot down two helicopters and a C-130 transport plane involved in the search for the American pilots.