Iran’s air defense infrastructure has performed much worse than expected during the military conflict that has been going on since June 13, an article from Telegraph points out. The newspaper notes that the unexpected failure of the Russian-provided systems could cause serious headaches for Moscow, and may be putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold talks with Ukraine and push for diplomacy in the Middle East.
“We need to find a way to reach an agreement in the Middle East and ensure the interests of both Iran and Israel,” Putin said. He also said he was ready to meet with Zelensky, but said the legitimacy of his power was questionable.
According to the analysis, Israeli military actions, using combined tactics – ground sabotage, ballistic missiles, and the deployment of around 200 fighter jets (F-35s, F-16s, F-15s) – neutralized Iran’s air defense infrastructure much faster and more effectively than expected.
It also became clear that Russian air defense stood virtually no chance. Iran’s Russian S-300 and S-400 systems have proven completely ineffective against the Israeli Air Force.
Independent security policy expert Francis Tusa commented on this: “Israel essentially has complete air superiority, and Iran has no means to stop what they want to do from the air.”
According to Tusa, the last time a similar level of air superiority occurred was during the Six-Day War in 1967, in favor of Israel, and in 1944-1945, the Allies who brought the Third Reich to its knees enjoyed a similar advantage over Germany.
The poor performance of Russian defense systems raises the question once again of how effective these weapons really are.
According to the Financial Times, Israel has so far destroyed three S-300 missile sites, and the Jewish state’s aircraft have managed to seriously damage a fourth.
Russia transferred the technology to Tehran in 2016, who deployed the missiles to protect targets of high strategic value. In addition to the fixed systems, a mobile S-300 unit also formed the permanent escort of the Iranian supreme leader.
The Financial Times also noted that Russian defense technology did not perform as well as the most modern Western attack missiles in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Moscow fell behind
In a Telegraph article, Justin Crump, founder of the consultancy Sibylline and a former British general, highlighted that the weakness of Russian systems not only poses a military-political crisis for Moscow, but also could give China a serious trump card: other countries may prefer to buy Chinese air defense systems in the future.
Especially in light of the fact that the Chinese military industry has already proven itself against Western technology in the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.
Americans are feverishly monitoring the performance of China’s leading fighter jet against its Western rival.
The expert also highlighted the role of drones in effective strike action: “Traditional air defense systems can be disabled by anyone who has a drone nearby that they can guide into the launch pad’s radar or into the cockpit,” he said.
At the same time, he asked the question: “Is NATO ready for such a shift?”
Tusa pointed out that previous air operations were much lower in intensity than what Israel has now managed to accomplish by combining drones and conventional means.
However, he believes that anyone who undertakes a similar operation needs to be ready to see it through. “You have to press the gas all the way to the floor from start to finish.”
According to the analysis, Russia must reassess its current situation in light of the events in Iran, and Israel has turned modern air warfare upside down in a matter of days.
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