Las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel (FDI), informaron que por primera vez se ha empleado un jet de combate F-35i \u201cAdir\u201d, para el derribo de un Drone Iran\u00ed. Aunque reci\u00e9n se revela ahora, en Mar21 dos UAV iran\u00edes ingresaron al territorio de Israel, siendo derribados por la moderna aeronave. Por el an\u00e1lisis de los restos hallados, se tratar\u00eda de UAV \u201cShahad 197\u201d, usualmente\u00a0 empleados para el env\u00edo de material b\u00e9lico a la organizaci\u00f3n terrorista Hamas en la Franja de Gaza. Este tipo de UAV vuela bajo y, por su peque\u00f1o tama\u00f1o y \u201cfirma radar\u201d, resulta dif\u00edcil\u00a0de detectar por los sistemas de Def Ae convencionales.<\/p>\n
JERUSALEM \u2014 Israel has used\u00a0F-35i Adir fighter jets<\/a>\u00a0to shoot down two Iranian drones, the Israel Defense Forces revealed this week. Although the interceptions took place last year, Israel only revealed the full story on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cIn March 2021, the Iranian regime launched two UAVs toward Israeli territory. The UAVs were successfully intercepted by the Israeli Air Force\u2019s F-35i \u2018Adir\u2019 aircraft. This was the first operational interception of a UAV by an F-35i aircraft in the world,\u201d the IDF said. \u201cThe interception was carried out successfully by F-35i \u2018Adir\u2019 aircraft (from the 116th and 140th Squadrons). The F-35i \u2018Adir\u2019 has demonstrated the ability to quickly and precisely detect, identify and engage a target.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel says the interception took place before the UAVs could enter Israeli airspace. This means they were shot down over the airspace of at least one other country, although Israel did not identify which one that might be. Notably, Iran has flown drones from Syria into Israeli airspace before, in February 2018 and May 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cThe interception of the UAVs was carried out prior to them entering Israeli airspace, in coordination with neighboring countries. The UAVs were detected and tracked throughout their flight by ground control units,\u201d the IDF said.<\/p>\n \u201cAccording to the forensic investigation of the shrapnel, the [March 2021] UAVs were identified as the Iranian \u2018Shahad 197\u2032 on the way to transfer munition to the Hamas terrorist organization. According to the UAVs\u2019 flight paths, we estimate that the intended destinations for the munition transfer were Hamas terrorist operatives situated in Judea and Samaria and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip,\u201d the IDF said.<\/p>\n In the March 7 briefing, the IDF provided more details on the use of the F-35 to take out the drones, with a senior official saying the interceptions came amid a series of escalations by Iran using drones against Israel and other regional countries. This includes the February 2018 incident in which Iran used a Shahed 141 drone flown from Syria, and the May 2021 use of a drone flown from Iraq into Israeli airspace.<\/p>\n Israel had said in 2018 that the Iranian drone was armed. And in November 2021, Israel\u2019s defense minister\u00a0claimed the 2018 incident included a UAV attempting to smuggle munitions<\/a>\u00a0into the West Bank.<\/p>\n In the March 2021 incidents now publicly known, the UAVs were tracked by ground control units in cooperation with intelligence units, the IDF said. \u201cThe UAVs were intercepted at the optimal operational point,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n Drones fly low and slow, making them harder to detect. Their smaller size also gives them a low radar signature. An Israeli IDF official pointed to this issue as one reason the F-35 radar was well suited to the mission. Previous reports have indicated the\u00a0F-35\u2032s AN\/APG-81 radar<\/a>\u00a0can detect low-altitude threats, such as cruise missiles.<\/p>\n The IDF also pointed to the technology used by the\u00a0F-35 pilot\u2019s helmet<\/a>\u00a0in discussing the interception. The helmet includes forward-looking infrared technology and an electro-optical targeting system.<\/p>\n Israel continues to receive F-35s as part of its\u00a0order of 50 of the advanced aircraft<\/a>. Reports last year said Israel would seek to purchase another 25 of the aircraft.<\/p>\n