File image.
Iranian air defenses managed to shoot down a Heron and an Eitan drones of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) over the western region of the Islamic Republic during the recent war with Israel, visual evidence confirmed.
On June 25, Iranian media shared a video showing the wreckage of the first drone, which was identified as a Heron via its serial number, “298”.
The Heron is a medium-size drone with an endurance of 52 hours and a service ceiling of ten kilometers. It was designed by Israel’s IAI for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance missions. The drone is also reported to be capable of holding armed roles.
The drone was reportedly shot down by an Iranian-made Majid short-range air defense system. The main armament of the system, the AD-08 anti-aircraft missile is guided via imaging infrared and is said to have range of eight kilometers and an altitude of up to six kilometers.
Photos posted to social networks later on June 26 showed the wreckage of another drone, which was identified as an Eitan thanks to the ventilation opening on the side of its nose cover. It is still unclear how exactly this drone was shot down.
The Eitan, also known as the Heron TP, is a larger version of the Heron with an endurance of over 30 hours and a service ceiling of up to 14 kilometers.
Click to see full-size image. Via Telegram.
Click to see full-size image. Via Telegram.
Click to see full-size image. Via Telegram.
Click to see full-size image. Via Telegram.
It’s worth noting that Iranian media reported on June 19, six days into the Israeli attack, that two Heron-type drones were downed over the western region.
The two downed drones brought the IAF confirmed losses during the war on Iran to four. The other two losses were also drones, both identified as Hermes 900.
Developed by Israel’s Elbit, the Hermes 900 is very similar to the Heron in size and mission, but had an endurance of over 30 hours and a maximum altitude of just over nine kilometers.
More Israeli aerial losses could emerge in the coming days. Iran announced the downing of dozens of drones, and even claimed on a few occasions during the short war that its air defenses targeted fighter jets of the IAF, including more than one F-35.
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