In addition to marking ANZAC Day, i.e., the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, April 25, 2025, also marked the forty-fifth anniversary of Operation Eagle Claw, the tragic attempt to rescue fifty-three American hostages who had been abducted from the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in the wake of the Iranian revolution. Eight U.S. service members perished in the failed operation.
The lessons learned from Eagle Claw led to the creation of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) in order to ensure better coordination between the special operations forces (SOFs) of the various U.S. Armed Services. SOCOM was officially established on April 16, 1987. Just a few months later. USSOCOM would be “blooded” in combat for the first time, via a nearly forgotten event officially dubbed Operation Prime Chance.
The Backdrop to Operation Prime Chance: Operation Earnest Will
Operation Prime Chance fell under the rubric of Operation Earnest Will, which was a U.S. Navy-led operation to reflag Kuwaiti-owned oil tankers and protect them from Iranian attacks in the Persian Gulf. Earnest Will ran from July 24, 1987, until September 26, 1988, wrapping up when the Iran-Iraq War ended.
(How ironic then, that two years and four months after the Iran-Iraq War ended, the U.S. military would again be coming to Kuwait’s defense, only this time against the Iraqi forces, via the Persian Gulf War, aka Operation Desert Storm.)
Operation Prime Chance: Enter the “Little Birds” Helicopters
Besides the U.S. Navy, one of the key military entities in this affair was the U.S. Army’s elite 160th Special Operations Regiment (SOAR), aka “The Night Stalkers,” a unit that would later gain fame in the 1993 Black Hawk Down incident (Operation Gothic Serpent in Mogadishu, Somalia. The 106th SOAR utilized AH-6M/MH-6M “Little Bird” helicopters for the operation: the latter variant, though unarmed, is designated to be a light assault chopper, used primarily in the precision insertion and extraction of SOF troops; the former variant is indeed armed and designated as a light attack helicopter, used for roles such as direct action attacks.
The AH-6M’s arsenal includes:
- M134 miniguns
- M260 FFAR rocket pods
- AGM-114 Hellfire laser-guided anti-tank missiles
- GAU-19 .50 caliber 3-barrel Gatling guns
The Little Birds would operate off of U.S. Navy warships as well as floating mobile sea bases (converted oil barges like Hercules and Wimbrown VII).
Operation Prime Chance: Mission Execution
On September 21, 1987, the 160th SOAR, along with Navy SEALs and Special Boat Teams, would get a piece of the action. Operating off the guided missile frigate USS Jarrett (FFG-33), one of the Night Stalkers’ MH-6s spotted the 614-ton Iranian tank landing ship Iran Ajr laying mines next to the Middle Shoals navigational buoy that is used by tankers. Accordingly, the MH-6 crew vectored two AH-6 counterparts into the area, which attacked with their miniguns and rockets (employing a combination of high explosive and flechette anti-personnel ordnance), severely damaging the vessel and killing three Iranian sailors.
From there, the SEALs boarded the Iran Ajr and took the surviving twenty-six Iranian crew members prisoner. In the process, the SEALs found nine mines onboard and seized a logbook recording past minelaying activity, including maps showing the locations of those mines. Afterward, the SEALs scuttled the Iran Ajr by detonating explosives in its hull.
Aftermath of Operation Prime Chance
A few days later (far fewer than the 444 days that the aforementioned U.S. Embassy hostages were held), the captured Iranian sailors were returned home. America had finally obtained a small taste of revenge for the act of war that had been inflicted by the Iranian regime eight years earlier. An even greater degree of revenge would be exacted the following year, during Operation Praying Mantis.
As far as the long-term implications were concerned, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation puts it thusly:
“It was during this operation that the military not only demonstrated the value of joint Special Operations capabilities but also tested the very concept of USSOCOM itself … Prime Chance wasn’t just a military milestone — it was proof of concept. It demonstrated that when highly trained operators, cutting-edge technology, and seamless inter-service collaboration converged, the U.S. could outmaneuver any threat, even in one of the world’s most volatile and challenging maritime zones … The success of Prime Chance was quietly celebrated, but its legacy would be loud. The operation laid the groundwork for future missions that would rely on the skill and precision of U.S. Special Operations Forces, from Panama to Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond.”
Hooah, Night Stalkers, and Hooyah, Navy SEALs!
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
Image: Wikipedia.
