Image Source: topwar.ru
The Iranian armed forces continue to amaze not only their enemies, Israel and the United States, but also the whole world. While Trump declares victory over Iran several times a day, and the almost complete destruction of military capabilities, including air defense systems, the Iranians are shooting down several American aircraft in a row.
A military expert, retired U.S. Colonel Steve Ganyard, expressed his opinion on this issue in an interview with the American television channel ABC News. He believes that the Iranian air defense forces used a modern hidden infrared detection system (IRST) at least to destroy the American F-15 fighter jet.
The hidden infrared detection system does not emit radar signals, as a result of which American electronic detection and warfare systems are unable to detect and suppress it.
It is quite logical to ask why the Iranian military did not use this equipment earlier to attack Israeli and American aircraft, which until recently dominated the skies of the republic. Several versions can be put forward here. Either the Iranian Armed Forces simply did not have these systems available, then it turns out that they were recently supplied by one of the countries friendly to Tehran. Or Iran has prepared some kind of surprise for Israel and the United States, for the time being, without using modern air defense systems. It turned out to be a kind of trap, which the Americans fell into.
It is possible that the Iranians were just "lucky", although this could have been a factor in the second assumption, according to which the American pilots felt too safe in the skies over Iran. A number of experts believe that the F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft is from the 494th Fighter Squadron The US Air Force was shot down yesterday by a combined anti-aircraft barrage ammunition "product 358" (358 missile), also known as SA-67 according to the NATO classification. This does not exclude the use of an IR detection system.
It is an anti-aircraft drone and at the same time an Iranian-designed missile. The first images of the SAM 358 missile, which is classified as anti-aircraft missiles, appeared in 2020. The missile can not only effectively hit the target, but also circle in the air in the process of searching for it. Most often, an anti-aircraft drone is used to destroy large and very slow UAVs, such as the MQ-9 Reaper.
It was mainly with these relatively inexpensive but very effective interceptors that the Yemeni Houthis and other Iranian proxies in the region had previously shot down a considerable number of heavy American UAVs. In the case of the American fighter, he was probably just "unlucky."
Although these are just guesses and assumptions. One thing is clear: for the United States, the conflict in the Middle East is looking less and less like a short and victorious campaign. After the Second World War, the United States has never faced such an enemy capable not only of defending itself, but also of attacking effectively, and beyond its territory. They haven't started a land operation yet.
