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Concern among Russian defense analysts
Concern among Russian defense analysts and military circles was triggered by Israel’s high-tempo aerial campaign against Iran because of parallels emerged between the exposed vulnerabilities of Tehran’s air defense systems and Moscow’s own troubled record in Ukraine.
In fact, as reported by Defence Blog, Russian military observers have begun openly questioning the reliability of their own defense systems after Israeli strikes that penetrated deep into Iranian territory and destroyed key air defense assets with minimal resistance.
Actually, for Moscow, the message is clear: if Tehran’s defenses failed this quickly, similar vulnerabilities could exist much closer to home. The consequences are being felt far beyond the Middle East as the air war over Iran enters its next phase.
Why did Iranian air defense fail to stop Israeli Attacks?
But why did Iranian air defense fail?
Eric Wicklund, former US Navy Operations Specialist, explains on Quora;
‘There are two primary reasons why the Iranian air defense failed:
- Stealth aircraft
- Drone Swarms
‘Perhaps the best use of stealth aircraft is carrying out the SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defense) mission. In a battle between an aircraft and an air defense site, it all comes down to: who gets a lock first, and who can shoot first.
‘Typically, air defense missiles have the advantage. They can spot an aircraft far away and fire a missile at it long before the aircraft can release bombs. That’s oversimplification, but bear with me here.
‘By contrast, a stealth plane is not seen so easily by the air defense. This allows the stealth plane to launch weapons “before” the air defense does. So, with stealth, the advantage goes to the aircraft. With the air defense cleared out, 4th gen fighters, laden with weapons, can continue their attacks unhindered.
‘The other reason Iran’s air defense failed was because of an Israeli Spider Web-style attack with drones. These small drones were smuggled in ahead of time. Drones have already proven effective against Russian air defenses. These small drones are roughly the size of birds, and air defense filters out small targets like that. You wouldn’t want to shoot million-dollar missiles at birds, would you?
Advanced technology and excellent military planning
‘So, between stealth fighters, like the F-35, and drone swarms, the Iranian defense proved useless.
‘Lastly, let’s be clear on something. Russian S-300/400 air defense and the Iranian derivatives based upon them [such as the Bavar-373], are not shite. They can and do shoot down aircraft. So, you still have to take them seriously. Ukraine has shot down Russian aircraft with Russian air defense, and Russians have shot down Russian planes with them too. They do work.’
Wicklund concludes;
‘The reason Iran’s air defense failed here was because of advanced technology (stealth), and excellent military planning. Having great weapon systems is good, but if you don’t know how to use it properly it won’t help you. Ukraine, and Israel, have both proven they know how to use their weapons very well.’
Photo credit: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and Israeli Air Force
