Israel unleashes air assault on Iranian military sites
Israel conducted a retaliatory strike on numerous Iranian military infrastructure sites during the night of 25–26 October. Here is what the Israeli Air Force used in the attack.
Israel admitted that over 100 aircraft were used in the operation, hitting multiple targets in Iran. These included a drone factory in Tehran, at least one complex involved in the production of ballistic missiles, and at least two batteries of anti-aircraft systems designed to protect Iranian airspace.
One of these was identified as the MIM-23 HAWK, based on satellite images from a few days earlier and a fire at its stationing location visible on NASA's real-time fire monitoring tool. The second is thought to be an S-300 system battery, with a command vehicle equipped with radar reportedly being hit.
In the attack, Israel used F-35I aircraft and most likely F-15s carrying ROCKS aero-ballistic missiles with a range potentially exceeding 1,000 kilometres. Israeli Air Force planes were spotted over Jordan (approximately 1,500 kilometres to Tehran), which could be where they were launched or possibly over Iraq.
F-35I planes: Israel's unique aviation machine
The Israeli F-35I Adir is a special version of the F-35 aircraft, significantly more expensive than the standard model used by the US and NATO countries. Israel has integrated its unique glide bomb models with this machine, though cruise missiles are too large for the internal weapons bays.
For this reason, the F-35I likely acted as the spearhead, similar to American operational concepts, using its advanced sensors to clear the way for older aircraft. Thanks to its stealth technology, the F-35I could potentially engage, for instance, F-14s tasked with intercepting F-15s.
The second role for the F-35I might have been serving as a miniature AWACS, providing more precise targeting data for the aforementioned F-15s flying over 100 kilometres behind. This could allow them to strike anti-aircraft batteries, whose radars were unable to detect the F-35I.
The arsenal of the Israeli Air Force — possessing unique weapons on a global scale
Meanwhile, the F-15s served mostly as carriers for the ROCKS missiles, which evolved from the Sparrow ballistic missiles designed as test targets for the Arrow-3 anti-ballistic system. Sparse information indicates a two-stage design with a booster that detaches after burning out, as was the case during a previous attack when Israeli-made boosters were found in Iraq.
Israeli manufacturer Rafael provides no information, keeping everything under the "extended range" phrase. However, it appears to be an aero-ballistic missile, initially ascending into space and then descending at speeds exceeding multiple times Mach 1 (around 1,980 km/h). Essentially, it's like a scaled-down MGM-140 ATACMS or Iskander-M, launched from the air rather than the ground.
This makes it a very difficult target to shoot down, with only a few anti-aircraft systems worldwide capable of handling it. Due to weight restrictions, the warhead is likely smaller, probably below 200 kilograms instead of 500 kilograms. Rafael mentions only two variants: fragmentation-high explosive and penetrating, designed for bunker destruction.
Notably, the small warhead is not a problem given sufficient precision, with Rafael boasting an error margin of just 3 metres. This accuracy is achieved not only through the classic combination of inertial and satellite navigation but also with an electro-optical seeker that detects the target's thermal image, likely based on modules from SPICE. Furthermore, ROCKS also has the capability to home in on radar signal sources, similar to AGM-88 HARM missiles.
