Israeli Defense Force Uses F-35I Adir & “Fighter Jets” To Destroy Iranian Ballistic Missiles

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

The Iranian attack on Israel using hundreds of ballistic missiles raises significant new questions about the evolution of missile defense, the condition and effectiveness of Iran’s arsenal and the possibility of new concepts of operation aimed at leveraging new technologies capable of sensing, tracking and destroying incoming missile threats at stand-off ranges from the air. 

What part of Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal may have been used for the recent massive “bolt out of the blue” kind of attack on Israel?  Which defensive systems are likely responsible for such a successful defense? 

By all public reports, the Israeli Defense Forces have said that they were able to destroy about 99-percent of Iran’s incoming missiles. How? 

Israel’s successful defense introduces significant tactical implications, because while precision interceptors such as Iron Dome and the Patriot missile recently provided by the US can certainly track and destroy individual attacks or even several attacking missiles at one time, even the most advanced or precise interceptors might be challenged to defend against a salvo of incoming Iranian missiles.

However, while IDF defenses such as Patriot and Iron Dome are increasing capable of destroying multiple incoming targets simultaneously, it appears the IDF may have supplemented its air defense with fighter jets operating in a missile defense mode. IDF video released to CNN reportedly showed Israeli fighter jets intercepting or “knocking down” Iranian ballistic missiles, something which while not surprising, suggests new tactical uses of advanced fighter jet sensors and weapons.

“Photos released by the Israeli Air Force early Sunday showed F-35 and F-15 fighter jets returning to their bases in Israel after what were called successful “interceptions” and “aerial defense missions,” a CNN essay writes.

F-35 Adir