 "Israel has operated its F-35 stealth fighter jets and its fourth-generation aircraft, like the F-16 and F-15 to drop glide bombs on Iranian targets. Image Courtesy: @IDF/X")
It’s been five days of fighting between Israel and Iran — both sides are exacting heavy losses and reeling from mounting death tolls. However, within 48 hours of Israel’s Operation Lion, the Jewish nation announced that it had gained aerial superiority over Iran after battering the country’s air defences in recent bombing runs.
Israel military spokesperson Brig Gen Effie Defrin said, “Now we can say that we have achieved full air supremacy in the Tehran airspace.” In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israel has achieved an objective that Russia hasn’t been able to do in three-and-a-half years of war in Ukraine.
We take a closer look at what exactly is in Israel’s air arsenal and why air superiority matters in this conflict.
What is Israel’s claim of air superiority over Tehran?
On Monday (June 16), the Israeli military said it gained air superiority over Iran with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stating it has degraded Iranian air defences and missile systems to the point that Israeli planes can now operate over Tehran without facing major threats. It said Israel now controls the skies from western Iran to Tehran.
As of Monday, Israel had destroyed more than 120 surface-to-surface missile launchers with Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, saying on social media: “We have opened up the skies of Iran, achieving near-air superiority.”
Defrin said that the IDF destroyed one-third of the Iranian regime’s missile launchers. In addition, more than 20 surface-to-surface missiles were destroyed on Sunday night before they were about to be launched toward the State of Israel.
According to a New York Times report, Israel has continued to target Iran’s air defences, carving out a pathway for Israeli fighter jets to reach Tehran freely. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News in an interview on Sunday that Israel had worked to “peel off the layers of protection” of Iranian defences.
What this means is that Israel now has the capability of flying through much of Iranian airspace as easily as they could over Lebanon and Syria. “Let’s say I have a target that I missed or that I’m not happy with the result. I can go back tomorrow and the day after tomorrow again, again, and again,” said Zohar Palti, a former senior official in Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, to the Times.
How did Israel achieve air superiority over Tehran?
But how did the Jewish nation achieve this objective? It’s because of Israel’s sophisticated air arsenal, which boasts of F-35 stealth jets, fourth-generation aircraft, like the F-16 and F-15, and SPICE (Smart, Precise Impact, Cost-Effective) — bombs.
According to reports, the initial airstrikes were carried out by Israel’s fifth-generation stealth F-35 aircraft, enhanced with Israeli modifications. A report by Middle East Eye states that for this objective, the US and Israel altered the F-35 warplanes to extend their range without the need for refuelling or compromising on stealth.
And once the Iranian air defences were suppressed, Israel deployed its older warplanes such as F-15s and F-16s. Additionally, Israel also started dropping short-range JDAM and Spice guided bombs, which are cheaper and much more abundant than missiles, to devastating effect.
Many defence analysts note that Israel has a far more superior air force than Iran. Frederik Mertens, strategic analyst with Dutch think tank, TNO, was quoted as telling Newsweek, “Israel has one of the most experienced and capable air forces of the world. The Israeli air force has thoroughly trained personnel, modern aircraft, lots of support aircraft, as well as ample stocks of advanced ammunition and American logistics help.”
In fact, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Israel has a total of 340 operational aircraft at its disposal. This includes fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighters, F-15s and F-16s.
In comparison, Iran’s aerial prowess pales. William Freer, a research fellow for national security at the UK-based Council on Geostrategy think tank, told Newsweek, “The Iranian air force was already in a pitiful state before the current fighting began.”
He added: “To all intents and purposes, Iran did not really have an air force.”
The IISS notes that Iran’s air force comprises of ageing aircraft — a mix of Soviet-era jets such as the MiG-29 and American-made aircraft dating back to before the 1979 revolution and the establishment of an Islamic republic in Iran.
What this means in the current conflict?
For Israel, air superiority over Tehran is a game changer in the West Asia region. By striking missile launchers, it has reduced Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal. It also gives Israel the ability to drop bombs from inside Iranian skies rather than relying on expensive long-range missiles.
US Air Force General Timothy Ray (retired), a former US Global Strike Command commander, also told the Wall Street Journal, “It’s a numbers game, and it seems like Israel has the upper hand because they can now go after the missiles that are shooting at them with direct attack. After all, the best way to shoot a missile is on the ground while it’s in a container, and not in the air while it’s flying.”
Expanding on this further, US Air Force Lt Gen David Deptula (retired), dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, also told Wall Street Journal, “In the case of the Israel-Iran war, it allows them unhindered freedom to attack where they possess air superiority over segments of Iran.”
Other experts also pointed out that the Israelis now have the ability to use their full range of offensive weapons against Iran, more efficiently.
But despite Israel’s attacks, Iran continues to fire missile after missile, causing significant damage. Justin Bronk, of the defence think tank Rusi, told the BBC that while Israel may now be able to claim air superiority over Tehran, it has still not achieved air dominance and the threat of short range missiles remain.
With inputs from agencies