Click to see full-size image. Via X.
Iranian media on June 28 shared photos showing the wreckage of another drone that was shot down over the Islamic Republic during the recent war with Israel.
The drone appears to be a version of the Orbiter 4, developed by Israel’s Aeronautics Defense Systems. The light drone was developed to conduct intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance missions. It has an endurance of up to 24 hours and an operational range of 150 kilometers.
The limited range of the drone raises some serious questions on how it reached Iran and how Israel was able to operate it over the Islamic Republic.
The most likely scenario is that the drone was launched by the Mossad spy agency, which played a key role in the attack on Iran, from a neighboring country. Amid the 12-day war, Iranian media reported that Israel was launching drones from the territory of its ally, Azerbaijan. There were also reports of drones being launched from Iraq’s northern autonomous region of Kurdistan, where Mossad is known to be very active.
Another less likely possibility is that the drone was launched by Mossad from within Iran. The agency carried out attacks from the territories of the Islamic Republic during the war, but used smaller loitering munitions and anti-tank guided missiles.
Here it is important to note that while the Orbiter 4 is larger, Aeronautics Defense Systems had showcased in the past a light electric vertical take-off kit for the drone, which is typically launched using a fairly large catapult.
Click to see full-size image. Via X.
Click to see full-size image. Via X.
The downed drone brought Israel’s confirmed aerial losses during the war on Iran to five. The other four losses were also drones, although much larger models like the Hermes 900, Heron and Eitan.
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. Many more losses may get verified in the coming days.
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