Iran, under international sanctions and isolation, continues to seek to increase its influence in the region. In an effort to compensate for the weaknesses in its military power, Tehran is actively developing low-cost missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. These measures are aimed at maintaining Iran’s capabilities in the face of limited air defense, allowing it to remain a threat to Israel despite the insufficient protection of its own airspace.
Iran’s military aviation is an archaic arsenal, much of which was acquired in the 1970s, before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. This fact is highlighted in a report by the US Defense Intelligence Agency. Due to outdated technology and the inability to fully modernize, Iran has been forced to focus on asymmetric tactics, including the use of drones and missiles, which can be effectively used to carry out attacks, but are insufficient to provide reliable protection of the country’s airspace.
Benoit Faucon, Middle East correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, notes that these asymmetric tactics are the main way Iran tries to compensate for its limited military power. Instead of relying on classic defenses like modern fighters or anti-aircraft systems, Tehran relies on relatively cheap but effective weapons that can pose a threat to enemies at a considerable distance.
Military analyst Douglas Barry of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London believes that the situation is aggravated by Iran’s geographical scale. Barry notes that the country’s vast territory makes it impossible to fully protect all potential targets, even if Iran had more modern air defenses. In his opinion, this factor also forces Iran to look for alternative methods of defense and attack, which explains the great attention paid to the development of drones and missile systems.
The state of Iran’s military aviation and air defense remains a serious problem for Tehran. In the context of sanctions and lack of access to modern technologies, Iran is forced to seek asymmetric solutions that, while not being able to fully compensate for its weaknesses, still allow it to maintain a certain level of threat to its opponents.
Earlier, Kursor reported that Iran had decided to attack Israel.
Initially, after the elimination of Haniyeh, Iran promised destructive retaliation.
