Iran's air defense level doesn't need to be very high. In fact, as long as it reaches the level of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, it can protect its ballistic missile launchers from being attacked by Israeli Air Force strike and reconnaissance drones. Then Iran could bomb Israel with its missile stockpiles. But the problem is that Iran's air defense capabilities are indeed worse than those of the Houthi rebels in Yemen. After being bombed for a week, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps only managed to shoot down a few Israeli Air Force strike and reconnaissance drones. Moreover, Iran's air defense forces, which have S-300 and Faith-373 long-range air defense missiles, did not fire a single missile and directly gave up the battle. Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels in Yemen can threaten the US F-35 fighter jets and repel the Israeli Air Force F-35I fighter jets' bombing. The Iranian Air Force has not purchased any new fighter jets for 30 years, and it is even less reliable during wartime. Even if the Iranian authorities wasted 10 years without purchasing the Chinese J-10 fighter jets, would they not purchase a few Su-35 and Su-30SM fighter jets from Russia? If Iran purchases 24-48 Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, then the Israeli Air Force would not dare to send F-35I, F-15I, and F-16I fighter jets deep into Iranian airspace.
Even in the nuclear bases of Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow, if there is one Su-35 fighter jet, the US Air Force would not dare to dispatch B-2 stealth bombers deep into Iranian airspace for bombing. The problem is that if the Iranian air defense forces believe they cannot win against a stronger enemy and completely give up air defense, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps relies entirely on suicide drones and ballistic missiles for asymmetric attacks. Israel has 48 F-35I fighters and over 200 fourth-generation aircraft. The J-10CE fighter jet has strong perception capabilities, which is a fourth-and-a-half generation fighter. It may not be able to beat the F-35I, but it can definitely shoot down the F-15I and F-16I fighter jets. Considering the distance between Iran and Israel, the F-35I stealth fighter's loiter time in Iranian airspace is limited. If Pakistan's air force system is involved, the activity range and efficiency of the Israeli Air Force will be greatly reduced.
Did the Iranian Air Force take off? Even in the same situation, if the Iranian Air Force had J-8 and J-7 fighter jets, it is believed that the Iranian Air Force would also take off to fight, indicating that the essence is that the Iranian Air Force's strength is weak and lacks courage. Up to now, there have been no results of Iranian Air Force aircraft being shot down in the air. It is possible that the Iranian Air Force has not encountered the enemy properly in these days. The reality is that the Iranian Air Force only has an advantage in equipment stockpiles, and most of its fighter aircraft are old, with low maintenance rates. Whether it can exert the advantage of stockpiles is a big question mark.
In fact, the Iranian air defense forces are not weak at all. Iran has a large number of domestically produced air defense missiles and has built a large number of radars, forming an air defense network covering Iran. The key point is still the same sentence: Iran's interior is penetrated like a sieve. The brief air combat between India and Pakistan redefined the rules of aerial warfare. The results of the war between Iran and Israel show that backwardness only leads to being beaten, without even time to retaliate.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1837151901092043/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.