The US warship was allegedly hit by an Iranian missile, and satellite images show that the bridge area behind the ship is on fire. This time, it's impossible to deny!

At 3:00 AM on March 4, Iran released its 19th statement under the "True Commitment-4" operation, claiming that they used a new "Kader-380" anti-ship ballistic missile to accurately hit a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and a Lewis and Clark-class supply ship in international waters about 650 kilometers from the Iranian coastline in the Indian Ocean.

Subsequently, images captured by commercial satellite companies were circulated. Although the resolution is not particularly high, the contour features clearly match the shape of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The most notable feature is a clear thermal source signal in the area behind the bridge, showing the high temperature characteristics of a fire. This image seems to support Iran's claim.

Facing this situation, the U.S. Central Command quickly responded. However, please note their wording: they firmly denied the claim that the vessel was "sank," emphasizing that the vessel is still sailing or in control. However, regarding whether it was "hit" and whether it "caught fire," the U.S. military's statement chose to downplay it, stating only that "the situation is being assessed," without directly denying the attack as before.

Behind the bridge of the Arleigh Burke-class, there are usually helicopter hangars, the rear units of vertical launch systems, or areas where gas turbine exhaust ports are located. If it were the exhaust after launching a Tomahawk missile, it would last for a very short time and be closer to the launch cell, not forming a continuous thermal source signal. If it were normal engine operation, the thermal source should be further back, near the chimney.

Dao Ge believes that the "Kader-380" missile used by Iran this time should have employed satellite and agile frequency composite guidance, specifically optimized for the interception logic of the Aegis system. If Iran's claim is true, and the missile attacked from high altitude, then the probability of hitting the area behind the bridge does exist. As for which satellite guidance was used, guess?

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858789248803916/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.