[War & Business] Iran's Drone Air Defense Network Crumbled by US Stealth Bombers

Iran's Air Defenses Rendered Useless by Advanced Fighter Jets
Korea Must Accelerate Support for Indigenous Stealth Technology Development

Joint training of the U.S. B-2 stealth bomber and F-22 stealth fighter. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

On June 21 (local time), when the U.S. B-2 stealth bomber struck Iran's nuclear facilities, Iran's air defense network was rendered ineffective.

In fact, the greatest concern for the U.S. military during the operation was not Iran's air defenses, but rather a potential counterattack using drones and ballistic missiles. Unlike a simple bombing run at high altitude, which would be out of reach of drones, this mission required precision strikes at low altitude to destroy underground nuclear facilities. Even though the B-2 bomber is undetectable by radar, if Iran had launched tens of thousands of drones simultaneously to disrupt the operation, it would have been extremely difficult for the U.S. to carry out its mission.

The absence of an anticipated counterattack was due to the fact that, prior to the operation, the U.S. Air Force, together with the Israeli Air Force, used F-35 stealth fighters to destroy all of Iran's drone and ballistic missile production and storage facilities in advance.

At the beginning of the conflict, Iran was able to penetrate Israel's Iron Dome air defense system by launching a so-called "mixed barrage" of drones and ballistic missiles in rapid succession. However, Iran was unable to defend its own territory. The Iranian military, which had built its air defense system primarily around drones and ballistic missiles, was caught off guard.

Within and outside the Iranian military, there is criticism that if the Su-35 fighter jets ordered from Russia had been delivered on time, Iran would not have been so helpless. In return for providing drones and conventional weapons to Russia in the Ukraine war, Iran was supposed to receive 50 Su-35 fighter jets starting in October last year. According to the plan, the initial batch should have been delivered earlier this year, but due to the prolonged war in Ukraine, Russia delayed the delivery, and Iran has not received a single aircraft.

As a result, Iran had to rely mainly on outdated F-14 fighters, which were first introduced in 1974, in its engagement with the U.S. military. These fighters were imported from the United States by the pro-American Pahlavi dynasty just before the Iranian Revolution in 1979. With these fighters, now more than 40 years old, Iran was unable to detect, let alone intercept, the advanced F-35 stealth fighters and B-2 bombers of the U.S. and Israel.

Ultimately, this U.S. airstrike demonstrated that fighter jet capabilities remain crucial in establishing a national air defense system, and that a system centered solely on drones and ballistic missiles has clear limitations. The lesson is that, at a minimum, a country must possess at least a recently developed fourth-generation or higher fighter as its main combat aircraft to ensure basic airspace security. The Iranian government appears to have recognized this as well, as it began discussions with China immediately after the ceasefire to procure large numbers of China's fourth-generation J-10C fighters.

The global fighter jet market, not just Iran, is now heating up. Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, which witnessed the U.S. bombing of Iran firsthand, are now rushing to acquire stealth fighters, intensifying competition among the U.S., China, and Russia. In Europe, France, Germany, and Spain are jointly developing a stealth fighter called "FCAS." Additionally, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan are collaborating on the development of the stealth fighter "Tempest."

Korea's KF-21 Boramae has also joined the competition in the stealth fighter market. The plan is to complete Korean stealth technology by the 2030s and introduce unmanned combat aircraft systems in the 2040s. Given the current security environment and the state of the defense industry, development must be accelerated. As stealth technology has become a key issue in the defense market, the government must provide more comprehensive support for the development of Korean stealth technology.