Former IAF defense chief: Iran is a ‘superpower’ in missiles and drones — but not defense

Left: F-35i fighter jets are seen at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, in an undated handout photo. An Iranian ballistic missile shortly before impact in southern Israel, early April 14, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces; Screenshot: X)
Left: F-35i fighter jets are seen at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, in an undated handout photo. An Iranian ballistic missile shortly before impact in southern Israel, early April 14, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces; Screenshot: X)

Experts say Israel would have little trouble hitting targets inside Iran should it decide to retaliate directly for the unprecedented drone and missile salvoes of Saturday night, citing Tehran’s obsolete air force and indigenous air defense systems based on aging Russian models.

Iran is a “superpower in tactical ballistic missiles and UAVs,” says Brigadier General (res.) Zvika Haimovich, former head of IAF Aerial Defense.

Its air defenses are another matter, built largely around Russian S-200 and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems or a range of locally produced equivalents such as the Bavar-373, Khordad, Raad, Sayyad and Talash as well as old American and Russian warplanes, some of which date from the 1970s era of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.

Similar systems gave been deployed in Syria since 2015, giving Israeli pilots years of experience in dealing with them.

“Our air force and coalition air forces flew in this environment. They know how to deal effectively with this system,” Haimovich says. “I will give them respect, but that will not be the main challenge dealing with Iran.”

Sidharth Kausha, a research fellow at the Royal United Strategic Institute in London, says the main challenge for the Israel may not be evading Iran’s surface-to-air missiles, but being able to successfully strike military bases in western and southern Iran which require the use of penetrating bombs.

Kausha says Israeli aircraft, such as the stealth F-35 jets, which could evade Iran’s air defense networks, typically carry smaller ordnance. But against deeply buried targets larger munitions may be needed, which would mean they may have to be carried externally on aircraft such as the F-16 — making these more detectable to radars. For safety, pilots might be more likely to launch them from further away.

“The Iranian air defense network is certainly not impenetrable to these aircraft, but this raises the risk of losses and the Iranian capacity to, at least in theory, intercept some incoming standoff munitions increases,” he says.

Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel overnight from Saturday into Sunday morning, in retaliation for an alleged Israeli airstrike on what Tehran said was an Iranian consular building in Damascus.

Israel and its allies shot down the vast majority of the drones and missiles and the attack caused only one injury, but concerns of Israeli reprisal have nevertheless stoked fears of all-out regional war.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

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