“The Iranians are improving their capabilities”: what does the downing of the American plane teach?

When you look at these figures, the events of the weekend – which included the downing of an American plane in Iran for the first time – do not really undermine Tehran’s control of the skies. Still, what actually happened there, and is there cause for concern?

● 36 hours in enemy territory: how did the American navigator survive in Iran?
● In the United Arab Emirates, they canceled a project worth billions with France. And what does it have to do with war?
● With a range of 1,500 km: the missile that Turkey is building on

“First of all, it should be said that the plane that fell is an F-15,” begins Prof. Meir Ariel, head of the Space Engineering Center at Tel Aviv University. “Unlike, for example, F-35 planes – it is not stealthy, so the chances of shooting it down are higher.”

According to a report on the ABC News network, the Iranians used the Majid surface-to-air missile system (AD-08) – which uses infrared detection to track aircraft, without emitting radar signals. Apart from Majid, some reports point to the Iranian air defense system “Third in Hordad”, others estimate that a shoulder-fired missile caused the downfall, and there are those who point the finger at an air defense system made by Turkey. “The Iranians themselves claim that they They used a new type of system,” adds Ariel. “There is also a possibility that their radar was sophisticated and used several different arterial waves, or an additional radar to deceive.”

If it really is an electro-optical system, how can the pilots cope?
“It is possible to use advanced electronic warfare systems that disrupt the detection systems. The Israeli planes, by the way, have more such systems, and it may be that the Americans should also be equipped with them. It is also possible to change the way in which an attack is carried out – for example, to clear the way with planes that know how to evade, destroy the batteries and only then send F-15 planes.”

“The Israelis are more operationally experienced”

The plane crashes in the war were of the American Air Force. Is there a difference between our conduct and theirs?
“Our systems are based on American technology. The difference, however, can be in LA systems that are adapted to local events. In addition, we have the ability to use tight intelligence. And it may also be related to the skill of the pilots – one can assume that the Israelis are more operationally experienced after thousands of hours of flying in threatening areas. But there is no doubt that we also need to learn from this event. The Iranians are constantly studying us and improving their capabilities.

“What’s more, it’s surprising that until now we’ve been able to maintain air superiority at the one hundred percent level. Even in the reasonable scenario of the Air Force, we prepared for a situation where there wouldn’t be complete success. Statistically, it makes sense that a plane went down.”