Washington: A rescued US F-15 pilot told intelligence officials he saw an Iranian drone swarm moving like a “jellyfish” before ejecting over Iran in April, CNN reported
The pilot described multiple drones hovering and moving as one, according to the report. CNN said the account triggered debate inside the US intelligence community over whether Iran had shown a new drone capability.
Sources told CNN the formation could involve “one-to-many meshed networking,” a system that may allow one operator to control several drones. US intelligence officials had not previously assessed that Iran possessed the specific capability described by the pilot.
The exact cause of the F-15 downing remains under investigation, according to CNN. Initial reporting indicated the drone formation may have helped Iran shoot down the aircraft.
CNN said the F-15 incident marked the first known US aircraft downing over Iran during the conflict. The pilot was rescued hours after ejecting.
The aircraft’s weapons systems officer evaded capture for more than a day before being rescued. A second US aircraft, an A-10, was downed during the rescue effort, but its pilot ejected safely outside Iranian airspace.
Read: Iran Shot Down US Fighter Jet as Rescue Search Begins
CNN reported that US officials have tracked signs of Chinese and Russian assistance to Iran’s drone program. Emma Bates, founder of the drone warfare and defence modernisation company Cachai, told CNN that coordinated drone attacks would pose a major defensive challenge.
