Tyler Durden
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Via Zerohedge…
An Israeli government official has boasted that the Israeli Air Force’s (IAF) American-made F-35 stealth fighter jet can beat the newly transferred Russian S-300 air defense system, now in Damascus’ hands.
This comes after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu last week vowed to continue striking Iranian and Hezbollah targets inside Syria despite news of Russia following through with the transfer.
Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reports that Tzachi Hanegbi, the country’s regional cooperation minister and member of Israel’s security cabinet, was asked in an interview whether S-300 missiles in the hands of the Syrians would bring Israeli air strikes to a halt. Hanegbi replied with a confident, “Unequivocally, no.”
“The operational abilities of the air force are such that those (S-300) batteries really do not constrain the air force’s abilities to act,” he told Israel’s Army Radio.
Israel began receiving the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters over a year ago, something Hanegbi referenced by saying, “You know that we have stealth fighters, the best planes in the world. These batteries are not even able to detect them.”
Israel will now rely on the fighter’s advanced stealth capabilities to avoid detection by the anti-air defense systems to attempt to continue its raids with impunity, or at least that’s what Israeli leaders are telegraphing to their enemies. However, the confirmed S-300 transfer to Syria certainly ups the risk factor significantly should the IAF decide on continued operations.
Meanwhile an IAF official in a separate Israeli media interview said “The coming attacks won’t be the first, but they will be safer for the pilots in light of the new reality in Syria’s skies,” and referenced the IAF’s F-35 use as relying upon “most expensive weapon in the world.”
Israel purchased each F-35 jet for $125 million, and while eight of the plans have been delivered thus far, 33 more are expected to arrive by 2021, according to recent IDF statements.
The jets possess a cutting edge electronically scanned array (AESA) radar system that theoretically will suppress the signals of advanced missile defense systems such as the S-300 or others, but time will tell if Russian countermeasures are able to thwart any future raids.
Last summer an Israeli military official boasted that the IAF had struck 200 times over the year prior. But given Russia’s following through on its word to deliver the lethal and significantly more capable S-300 to Syria, it appears the gloves are now off.
And Syria, now largely victorious over the 7-year long jihadist insurgency that threatened President Assad’s rule will now be in a greater position to act.
Damascus will most likely be very willing to pull the trigger once its S-300’s come online (which Russian officials indicated this week would happen by October 20) should it again come under attack.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
‘…referenced the IAF’s F-35 use as relying upon “most expensive weapon in the world.”’
Like the Americans, some Israelis evidently believe a weapon’s effectiveness can be measured by its cost.
That being so, I will undertake to sell them a weapon even more expensive than the F-35. For the bargain basement price of $5 trillion, I will solemnly hand them a large mallet.
It’s one thing for Israeli politicians (and not just any politician, but the country’s regional cooperation minister) to talk up their faith in the F-35’s mystical powers.
It would be quite another thing to put that faith to the test of experiment. I strongly suspect that the Pentagon, the White House and everyone involved with the F-35 program would go to almost any lengths to prevent such a test.
They have far too much to lose.
I was just about to post the same thing .Just imagine if the S-300s take down an F-35 and I believe they will , what it is going to do the shares of the mfg.
The problem with USA and Israel is that they believe their own propaganda bullshit and I can’t wait to see it come back to haunt them – which it will!.
Good luck with that, Israel. Because if you succeed, Russia will send the S-400. Not even the F-22 Raptor, which Israel doesn’t have, can beat that one.
Can’t wait until Israel tries this and loses an F-35. The trillion dollar “superplane” suddenly doesn’t look so good for arms exports, and even more money is wasted as a result.
Might well turn out in a live fire exercise for Russian S-400 with targets supplied by Israel? Anyway a stealth F35 evading the S300 will probably be visible to the S400 search radar, which can pas on track data through the integrated C3 to all other air defense units.
All the Syrian military require is a decent set of binoculars – there’s no hiding from them!.
There’s no telling whether the S-400’s radar is better or worse. After all, an S-200 caused a F-35 to force land and though the Israelis downplayed the incident, they did kinda admit they didn’t know if that plane would ever fly again! It sounds like Groucho writes their material. The Israelis blamed it on a bird strike that had earlier damaged the stealth coating. BUT they had 7 of the planes. Why use a damaged one? At any rate, even the Russians do not claim to have a radar that can be used to guide a missile. The Struna-1 can… Read more »
The invisibility of all the overpriced US-Stealth crap is a pure ‘Myth’, they have just a smal radar footprint or echo, latest advanced radar techology can detect and track them, Russia is leading in these kind of technology. Stealth Technology is pure offensive, for agression and state terrorism, that’s the core of US-Empires military doctrine, that’s one reason Russia don’t do much expensive stealth tech, they concentrate more on defense like missiles, radar, electronic warfare tech ect.
“Israel purchased each F-35 jet for $125 million”
All of which was paid for by the money that the US sends to Israel every year.
There’s your Healthcare for all – you don’t get, there’s your intact infrastructure – you don’t have, there’s your proper education for all – your kids don’t get, there’s your safe drinking water for all – you don’t get.
Go ahead. Make my day.
Israel like so many other countries under estimate their opponents and that is a mistake they each make. Like the old saying “My Dad Can Beat Your Dad.”
They also seriously over estimate their own capabilities.
So far …. one was taken out by ‘bird strikes’ over Golan Heights, one fell out of the sky in South Carolina, USA and one was ‘battle’ tested by Americans over Afghanistan by shooting Asia Peasants armed with rocks. My personal conclusions: Load the missile tubes with pigeons.
One thing that is interesting about the Jolly Stupid Fighter is that it is quite old. It’s ‘stealth’ profile, as I understand, was developed based on the capabilities late 90’s radar technologies. Radar technologies have evolved considerably since then.
I can’t wait to see a few F-35’s “falling” out of the sky over Syria!. Netanyahu will explode with rage!.
I can’t wait to see a F-35 wreckage presented to the public and Lockeed-Martin stocks plumet.
Hanegbi is more politician than techie. He ignores the issue of the radar: http://www.newsilkstrategies.com/news–analysis/could-the-russian-made-s-300-shoot-down-an-israeli-f-35
it’s highly likely that the sorties flown over syria by israel will consist of 2 or more groups. 1 with the task of attacking whatever ground targets have been selected. the other group will be armed with extended range anti-radiation missiles, which, once the s300 radars light up, will be launched at them.
the situation is nowhere near as one-sided as some people seem to think. and when the first s300 battery is destroyed i can’t see anything other than a further escalation
A religious mumbo jumbo God created by Jews has to protect “his” favorite people to fullfil their mumbo jumbo prophesies before they destroy life on earth.