A U.S. fighter pilot shot down in Iran in April claims to have seen a formation of Iranian drones resembling a jellyfish, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN on June 23.
In a briefing following his rescue by U.S. special forces, the F-15 pilot told intelligence officials that he observed “multiple Iranian UAVs moving as a unified unit.”
"A group of interconnected UAVs moving as a single unit, with smaller UAVs positioned beneath the larger ones like legs... it's truly alien," one of the sources said.
Another source said the pilot described the scene as a "minefield of UAVs" in the sky.
 |
Several American aircraft were burned to ashes in Iran during the US operation to rescue the F-15 pilot on April 5. Photo: Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. |
According to CNN , US intelligence officials are concerned that the ability of multiple UAVs to move synchronously in the same formation would indicate that Iran's UAV capabilities have reached an alarming level.
A UAV warfare expert told CNN that the U.S. military would have to “spend enormous sums of money, along with a great deal of resources and losses, to defend itself against something that can coordinate like that.”
"If they can coordinate themselves to form a recognizable shape and maintain that formation, while carrying explosives and keeping reserves to attack targets not destroyed in the initial assault, then that is an extremely effective method of warfare," the expert added.
While the exact cause of the F-15's downing is still under investigation, initial reports suggest that the UAV formation may have somehow helped Iran shoot down the American fighter jet, according to two sources.
The F-15 had a crew of two – a pilot and a weapons systems officer. CNN previously reported that the US military immediately launched a search and rescue operation. The downing of the F-15 marks the first time a US aircraft has been shot down over Iranian airspace during this conflict.
The pilot was rescued hours after ejecting from the aircraft, while the weapons systems officer evaded Iranian pursuit in the mountains for more than a day before also being rescued. It is unclear whether the officer saw the UAV formation.
U.S. intelligence officials disagreed on how to interpret the F-15 pilot's description, as well as whether he could recount the incident clearly. First, the pilot suffered a concussion in the crash. This was the second time he had been shot down in the war with Iran: he was previously among pilots mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti forces, according to two sources.
According to one source, during the post-incident questioning, intelligence officials asked the pilot, "Are you sure what you saw was really like that?"
The U.S. Air Force forwarded CNN 's request for comment to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), but CENTCOM did not respond. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence also did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: https://znews.vn/phi-cong-my-soc-voi-ufo-cua-iran-post1662457.html
