A new report suggests that Iranian drones played a crucial role in shooting down a US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle in April. According to a senior US military official, the drones provided critical information to Iranian commanders, including the jet's GPS location, speed, and direction.
The incident occurred during a US-Israeli conflict with Iran, and the drones may have been used to track the F-15E and relay its position to a missile team. The pilot of the downed jet reported seeing a 'jellyfish-like' swarm of drones in the sky before ejecting.
The use of drones in this manner is seen as an asymmetric ad-hoc air defense solution, which could provide a relatively resilient option for Iran, especially if its conventional air defense architecture is compromised.
