Latest news with #F-35Is
Business Insider
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
Wiping out surface-to-air missiles is how you win a modern air war — and Israel's gotten very good at it
Israel has been pummeling Iran's arsenal of air defenses, hitting air bases and knocking out its missiles to open the airspace up for further strikes. Targeting enemy surface-to-air missiles to secure air superiority is a critical early move in an air war like Israel's, where the primary objective is to bomb the enemy's combat capabilities, comprehensively degrading its ability to fight. It's a tactic known as suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses. Israel was instrumental in advancing this type of warfare after failure taught a hard lesson in the 70s. In the decades since, it has executed it against foes repeatedly. Last week, the Israeli military launched "Operation Rising Lion, "a combat operation aimed at destroying Iran's nuclear program, as well as severely degrading its military capabilities, including ballistic missile programs and air defenses. Israel's armed forces have targeted military leaders and critical defensive capabilities as well. The air campaign has seen the Israeli Air Force strike Iranian surface-to-air missile assets and other targets, heavily weakening Iran's ability to maintain control over its skies. Earlier this week, the Israeli Air Force said its bombing runs from fighter jets like F-35Is, F-16s, and F-15s had given it air superiority over large areas of Iran, including the capital Tehran. The unique, fifth-generation F-35 Adirs of the Israeli Air Force are, despite limited information on their activities, believed to have played a critical role in the operations against Iran, as this is exactly what the jets were made for: penetrating contested air to weaken enemy defenses. The Israeli military said recently that it had destroyed more than 70 Iranian air-defense batteries, weapons armed with surface-to-air missiles. Destroying those enemy air defenses is widely seen as absolutely imperative in modern air campaigns, Douglas Birkey, the executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said. "The ability to access their domain unfettered is fundamental to really be able to fight competently." Crippling enemy's air defenses to clear the way for an air war is a tactic that stems from lessons learned from Israel's failures in the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and US experiences in Vietnam. During its war, Israel lost 102 aircraft in the fight, many to enemy surface-to-air missile batteries. The losses spurred the development of strategies focused on suppressing enemy air defenses and destroying them. Israel masterfully demonstrated the tactic during Operation Mole Cricket 19, an operation carried out during the 1982 Lebanon War. The Syrian military had fortified eastern Lebanon with sophisticated Soviet-supplied air defense systems, effectively turning Beqaa Valley into a no-fly zone filled with surface-to-air missiles. Israel broke the enemy air defense network with decoys and deception, electronic warfare, and precision air strikes. It didn't even have the stealth aircraft it has today. The strikes on the SAM batteries cleared the way for Israeli F-15s and F-16s to break through and dominate the skies, destroying dozens of hostile fighters. Western militaries studied the Israeli operation's success, as no other military had ever done anything quite like that. In the early 1990s, the US employed the tactic in Operation Desert Storm, breaking open Iraq's skies for more permissive combat operations with air cover, and then, NATO's forces did the same in Serbia a little later that same decade. Eliminating enemy air defenses can rely on high-cost, specialized weapons able to target hidden, high-value air defense radars, explained Patrycja Bazylczyk, a program manager and research associate with the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. These include systems like anti-radition missiles. "By leveraging intelligence-gathering and pre-positioned drones within Iranian territory to target air defense assets, Israel underscores how low-cost drones can impose outsized losses on Iranian long-range strike capabilities," she added. Indeed, this kind of reconnaissance was key in Beqaa Valley as well. There are few details on Israel's operation beyond targets eliminated, but Birkey said its assault on Iran's air defenses likely included broad array of effects employed simultaneously. "That might include cyberattacks to bring down networks that could control command and control. It might be electronic warfare to jam certain radars and other communications means," he said. It could involve high-end standoff missiles, stealth aircraft, and drones, too. Taking out enemy air defense batteries is a fast, complex operation that requires insight into how the enemy thinks and operates, as well as detailed mapping out of which targets need to be hit with what and when. Now, with more control over Iran's skies, "Israeli aircraft and drones can go after military targets like a fish in a barrel," Bazylczyk said. Like Israel's experiences during the Yom Kippur War, the importance of the suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses mission isn't only seen in victories, but also failures as well. Russia's failures in the Ukraine war to wipe out enemy air defenses cost the Russian Air Force air superiority, preventing a quicker resolution, as Russian air assets have been largely unable to provide critical close air support for ground forces. It's led instead to a grinding war of attrition in which both sides are locked in something of a stalemate, burning through artillery, weapons, and soldiers. Israel's current campaign against Iran comes on the heels of strikes against Iranian defensive capabilities last fall. Its main targets are related to Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran has said is for civilian purposes, although enrichment levels and secretive nuclear activity have raised concerns in the West. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, and in recent days has increased rhetoric against Iran and its leadership. The US claims it wasn't involved in Israel's initial attacks, but Trump has signaled that he is now mulling a decision on US strikes against Iran. He has opened a two-week negotiating window. In the meantime, the US Navy has warships, including an aircraft carrier and several surface ships, stationed in and around the Middle East. Some of these assets have provided air defense for Israel, helping shield it from retaliatory Iranian missile strikes.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel Performs Parade-Like Fighter Jet Flyover For Arch Enemy's Funeral
Israel performed a very unconventional high-profile trolling today when it executed a gameday-like flyover of Hezbollah's deceased leader Hassan Nasrallah's funeral in Lebanon. The operation, which utilized two F-35Is and two F-15Is, was dramatic and clearly meant to send an intimidating reminder to the Iranian-backed group and its tens of thousands of supporters down below. Israeli warplanes flew over Beirut during Nazballah's funeral. It's just a power move, sending a little message. — Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) February 23, 2025 As thousands of Hezbollah terrorist supporters gather to mourn at their leader Hassan Nasrallah's funeral in Beirut, Israel sends its warplanes to remind them who killed him and who's — Dr. Maalouf (@realMaalouf) February 23, 2025 Israeli Defense Minister Katz:Israeli Air Force jets flying over Beirut during Hassan Nasrallah's funeral are sending a clear message: Those who threaten and attack Israel will meet the same focus on funerals—we focus on victories. — Clash Report (@clashreport) February 23, 2025 Incredible footage of two Israeli F-15s and two F-35s buzzing Hassan Nasrallah's funeral in Beirut. Low and slow. — Woofers (@NotWoofers) February 23, 2025 ISRAELI FIGHTER JETS BUZZ BEIRUT DURING HEZBOLLAH'S NASRALLAH FUNERALIsraeli jets flew low over Beirut and a stadium packed with Shiite mourners at the funeral of the slain Hezbollah Israel Today — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 23, 2025 Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a mass strike executed by the Israeli Air Force on a Hezbollah underground bunker and command center located beneath a residential area in suburban Southern Beirut. The strike happened nearly five months ago, but the war with Israel kept a full public funeral from happening. Israel also released footage of the bombardment of the bunker for the first time today. It is known that dozens of JDAMs with BLU-109/B warheads were used to devastate the subterranean facility. You can read what we know about the high-stakes operation in this previous article. ב-27 בספטמבר 2024, בשעה 18:21 ובמסגרת מבצע "סדר חדש", צה״ל חיסל במספר תקיפות במקביל את חסן נסראללה, מנהיג ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה ויחד איתו את עלי כרכי, מפקד חזית הדרום ומפקדים בכירים נוספים במפקדה התת-קרקעית של חיזבאללה בביירות, לצד תשתיות צבאיות נוספות — צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 23, 2025 The large-scale gathering in Beirut also mourned the loss of Hashem Safieddine, who commanded Hezbollah for a very short period following Nasrallah's death, before Israel killed him too. Hezbollah's current Secretary General Naim Qassem addressed the public remotely during the funeral, vowing to follow Nasrallah's example 'even if we are all killed.' Hezbollah has been deeply degraded by Israel's campaign against it, with much of its leadership being killed, thousands of its operatives wounded by sabotaged communications devices, and many of its fighters killed and its higher-end weapons destroyed during a protracted ground and air operation. The fall of Syria's strongman Bashar al-Assad also has had a major impact on the group's ability to rebuild its capabilities, both logistically and operationally. The loss of Assad also impacted Iran heavily, who used Syria to supply and support Hezbollah. A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah was signed in November. The overtly ironic formation flyover — an act usually reserved for highly-honored military persons within a society — occurred at low altitude over Southern Beirut, which served as a reminder of Israel's total aerial supremacy over the area. This is especially true following the regime change in Syria, after which Israel struck all of Assad's known air defense capabilities. Russian air defenses in Syria, which reached out over a broad area, have also largely packed up and left. Still, such a flight profile is not without risk. Small arms fire or a sudden mechanical issue could leave few options flying that low and fast over a hostile area in broad daylight and during a time when your sworn enemies are already massed and rife with hatred. The flyover also came amid multiple airstrikes carried out by Israel on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Today is Hassan Nasrallah's funeral. Today the world is a better place. — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 23, 2025 Israel is no stranger to exploiting every tactical advantage available to them, even in unconventional ways. A parade-style flyover executed by the same military branch that killed the man being mourned below is certainly an especially unique show of force by any standards. Contact the author: Tyler@
