Iran's Jet Range Claims Bunk, Terrorism Real

threatswatch.org

Iran recently claimed that its jets can now reach Israel. Of course, with an air defense background, I should note that having the range and actually getting there - let alone on target - are decidedly two different measures.

At any rate, Israel has dismissed the Iranian claims out of hand, and essentially with the same observations.

But 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.
Exactly. Again, keep in mind that just about every conventional military claim by Iran is exaggerated or outright false. Their strength does not lie in conventional arms, but in the employ of terrorist foreign legions, including Hizballah and Hamas.

Terrorism is Iran’s chief export. Oil merely supports it, and its conventional military is a meager fraction of public claims, now and always under this regime.