Diego Garcia is just a spec in the ocean. Should be easy enough to take out. Those KC-135’s would have to be on full alert should those bombers suddenly have no home.
Is the distance what makes the island safe? The drones-impactful enough?
KC-135’s would have to be on full alert should those bombers suddenly have no home.
~~~
Why would they all go straight home?
Also, I believe they have a decent range. Plenty of time to get tankers to them.
It sure would be nice to have plenty of bases in the region though. *cough* Bagram *cough* Biden *cough*
It is a distant spec, so yes, there is that. They can barely aim at TelAviv.
And lots of controlled airspace and territory to fly over before you get there.
And then, when you get there, you are faced with a target with almost all of its facilities made out of hardened concrete deeply buried, surrounded by redundant rings of anti-missile and anti-aircraft weaponry designed to take on a full onslaught by China.
Iran could launch everything it ever had, close up by barge (like it wouldn’t get sunk first) and the base wouldn’t take a serious hit, as even if a missile somehow slipped in, as none carry a warhead large enough to do real damage.
To have a shot they’d have to launch nukes. They don’t have lifters big enough even if they could cobble together some warheads.