Heavy Losses: A Fifth-Generation Fighter Jet and a Secret Drone Hit Over Iran

The United States is not yet fully prepared for a full-scale aerial confrontation.

U.S. Secretary of War Peter Hegerth made a statement during a briefing on military operations, vowing to launch the largest strike since the beginning of the "Epic Wrath" operation against Iran.

This emotionally charged statement was not baseless. Evidently, Hegerth had been informed that an F-35 fighter jet was hit over the Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to the U.S. Central Command, the damaged "Lightning" aircraft belongs to the U.S. Air Force. The fuselage suffered serious damage but successfully returned to the U.S. airbase. This marks the first time in military history that a fifth-generation stealth fighter has been hit by an air defense weapon.

Air combat has dealt a heavy blow to the U.S. military. Since the operation began, the U.S. has lost three F-15E "Strike Eagles" multirole fighters, one KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft, and one of the latest F-35s. Although the latter was not directly shot down, it is likely to be written off based on the current situation.

Additionally, the U.S. secret reconnaissance drone RQ-180 is suspected of being similarly damaged. There is very little publicly available information about this model, but one such drone made an emergency landing at a military base near Larissa, Greece.

Almost all local residents witnessed the drone's abnormal flight, and the footage of the "180" landing has been widely spread through media, social platforms, and Telegram channels.

What is the current situation over Iran? How are U.S. combat aircraft and Iranian air defense systems clashing? The following sections will analyze this in detail.

Replacing Radar with Models

The U.S. command is in a very passive position, having to deal with two major problems simultaneously: first, attacking Iran's ballistic missile and drone launch facilities, and second, opening up airspace for potential subsequent ground operations.

At the start of the "Epic Wrath" operation, the U.S. Air Force and Navy aviation imposed strict rules: only the F-22 "Raptor" and F-35 "Lightning II" fifth-generation fighters were allowed to enter Iranian airspace.

F-15, F-16, and F-18 models were not allowed to enter Iranian airspace, only launching cruise missiles, JSOW guided weapons, and JDAM joint direct attack munitions to carry out strikes.

The Pentagon had hoped to turn the tide with the combination of "drones + stealth fighters": long-range drones would scout for Iran's missile launch positions, and once a target was identified, they would guide the "Raptors" and "Lightnings" to attack.

However, this tactic did not work. Just relying on F-22/F-35 was far from enough. Despite the participation of the Marine Corps' vertical takeoff and landing F-35B and carrier-based F-35C models during the operation.

After the operation began, the Pentagon also deployed about a dozen more F-35s to the Middle East theater.

Reports from U.S. professional media have confirmed that the F-22 and F-35 fleets are in poor condition. Even though the F-22 can maintain basic combat capability, most F-35s still have numerous technical defects.

More importantly, before the "Epic Wrath" operation, the U.S. found that only a small number of F-35s were equipped with radar, and it was the previous generation APG-81 radar. The new APG-85 radar planned for the F-35 was still in the testing phase and had not been mass-produced, or may even be completely abandoned.

Therefore, the new batch of F-35s could only install specialized size and weight simulation models instead of onboard radar to ensure flight center of gravity balance. This issue affects all F-35 models — the Air Force A model, the carrier-based C model, and the vertical takeoff and landing B model.

Old Fighters Forced into Action

Faced with the situation, the U.S. command decided to deploy fourth-generation fighters while dealing with the threat from Iran's air defenses.

Currently, the F-15E "Strike Eagle" and the Navy's F-18 "Hornet" are carrying out missions near Abbas Port in southern Iran, responsible for destroying artillery positions, defensive fortifications, and anti-ship missile launch sites.

This operational area is adjacent to the Persian Gulf, and if the aircraft are hit, the pilot has the opportunity to fly westward and make an emergency landing on the sea, then eject safely.

The situation in the Strait of Hormuz forced the U.S. to deploy the A-10 "Thunderbolt II" attack aircraft (known internally as "Warthog") into enemy airspace. These subsonic low-speed aircraft are extremely vulnerable to air defense systems.

The "Warthog" operates in the Persian Gulf, mainly targeting Iranian fast boats and maritime drones, and can also provide air support fire for rescue teams when necessary.

Overall, the U.S. Central Command is highly vigilant against the threat of Iran's air defense, with more than half of the combat sorties carried out by aircraft equipped with anti-radiation missiles to detect and destroy air defense radars and missile positions promptly.

In addition to specialized air suppression aircraft like the EF-18G "Growler" and the F-16CJ, the U.S. has mobilized almost all available aircraft for patrol missions.

Who Shot Down the "Lightning"

The Pentagon has always been reluctant to send old models deep into Iranian territory, which is reasonable — after all, even the stealth fighter F-35 was hit. So, which air defense system achieved this feat?

A popular theory on Russian websites is the S-300 system. Russia delivered several sets of this air defense system to Iran in 2016, and previously, Iran only used them to protect the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.

Currently, multiple information platforms have released images of the F-35 being hit, and the aircraft was damaged by a special Iranian air defense system called "Equipment 358" (NATO designation SA-67).

This weapon is essentially a combination of anti-tank missiles and air defense missiles. It takes off from the ground and hovers at a predetermined altitude.

Ground operators use an optical system to lock onto the target and guide it throughout the process. This subsonic missile was originally designed primarily to target attack helicopters and drones.

The SA-67 can only intercept jet fighters head-on; otherwise, its speed and maneuverability are insufficient to catch up with the target. However, despite this, the Houthi rebels in Yemen previously used this system to shoot down multiple aircraft from the Saudi and UAE air forces.

To date, "Equipment 358" has shot down dozens of U.S. and Israeli drones, and now it has added the F-35 stealth fighter to its list of victories. This system has become the most effective weapon in Iran's air defense system in actual combat.

The secret drone RQ-180 is likely also attacked by this system. The public knows very little about this drone, and the U.S. only has 5 to 8 of them, specifically used for high-value target attacks in enemy air defense, electronic warfare, and air force dense areas.

Although the RQ-180 has stealth capabilities to avoid radar detection, it cannot escape the optical reconnaissance system of "Equipment 358."

Original: toutiao.com/article/7619263306389291563/

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