Iranian claims of jet range dismissed
Shortly after Iran said it has fighter jets in its position able to reach Israel and return to their base without having the need to refuel an Israeli expert dismissed it as quite irrelevant.
‘Yiftah Shapir, head of the Middle East Military Balance project at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, said there was a major difference between being able to fly 3,000 kilometers and actually carrying out a successful airstrike on a distant target.’
“You may be able to technically fly the distance at high altitude without arms on the jet,” Shapir said.
“But there’s a big difference between that and flying low as you would on a mission to avoid radar, laden with arms, which takes up more fuel. You would need a plan to reach the target, hover it for five to ten minutes as you strike it, and then escape the area without being shot down and escape
fighter jets.
“You would need the intelligence on targets, and a rescue plan. This is a very complex business, and I’m certain the Iranians are far from having that capability,” he added.
Although that may all be true the major question is whether Iran is working towards that goal or not. From the looks of it I’d say yes.
Progress is a slow process. But when it comes to its ability to strike against Israel and other distant targets Iran is making it for sure.
