On April 13, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel, and its air defense capabilities were once again in the spotlight as Israeli leaders decided how best to respond.

Here is an overview of the two countries’ air forces and air defense systems:

Iran

Iran’s air force has 37,000 personnel, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, but decades of international sanctions have largely denied the country access to the latest high-tech military equipment.

The Air Force has only a few dozen active attack aircraft, including Russian jets and aging U.S. models purchased before Iran’s 1979 revolution.

Tehran operates a squadron of nine F-4 and F-5 fighter jets, a squadron of Russian-made Sukhoi-24 fighter jets, and a number of MiG-29, F7 and F14 aircraft, the IISS said.

The Iranians also have drones designed to fly into targets and explode. Analysts believe the drone arsenal numbers only a few thousand. In addition, they also claimed that Iran has more than 3,500 surface-to-surface missiles, some of which carry half-ton warheads. However, the number of people able to reach Israel may be even smaller.

Iranian Air Force Commander Amir Wahdi said on Wednesday that Sukhoi-24 fighter jets were in “optimal readiness” to deal with any potential Israeli attack.

But Iran’s reliance on the Sukhoi 24 jet, first developed in the 1960s, illustrates the relative weakness of its air force.

On the defense front, Iran uses a mix of Russian and domestic surface-to-air missiles and air defense systems.

Tehran received the S-300 air defense system from Russia in 2016, a long-range surface-to-air missile system capable of attacking multiple targets simultaneously, including aircraft and ballistic missiles.

Iran also possesses domestically produced Bavar-373 surface-to-air missile platforms, as well as Sayyad and Raad defense systems.

Fabian Hintz, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: “If there is a major conflict between the two countries, Iran may focus on occasional successes. They do not have the comprehensive air defense system that Israel has.”

Israel

Israel has an advanced air force supplied by the United States, with hundreds of F-15, F-16 and F-35 multi-role jet fighters. These played a role in the downing of an Iranian drone over the weekend.

Although the Air Force lacks long-range bombers, a small fleet of modified Boeing 707s serve as tankers, allowing its fighters to reach Iran for precision sorties.

As a pioneer in drone technology, Israel has Heron drones capable of flying for more than 30 hours, which is sufficient for long-distance operations. Its Delilah loitering munition has an estimated range of 250 kilometers (155 miles), a long way from the Gulf, although the Air Force could close the gap by dropping one of its munitions closer to the Iranian border.

Israel is widely believed to have developed long-range surface-to-surface missiles, but this has been neither confirmed nor denied. In 2018, then-Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced that the Israeli military would receive a new “missile force.” The military has not disclosed the current status of these plans.

A multi-layered air defense system developed with U.S. help after the 1991 Gulf War gives Israel multiple options for shooting down Iranian long-range drones and missiles.

The highest altitude system is Arrow-3, which can intercept ballistic missiles in space. The early model Arrow-2 could operate at lower altitudes. The medium-range David’s Sling can counter ballistic and cruise missiles, while the short-range Iron Dome can counter rockets and mortars used by Iran-backed militias in Gaza and Lebanon, but can theoretically be fired at any other missile. . Arrows or David’s slings missed powerful missiles.

Israel’s system is designed to patch with U.S. interceptor systems in the region to enable coalition defense.

“Israeli air defense systems performed well during the (April 13) attack,” said Sidharth Kaushal, a researcher at the Royal Joint Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

He pointed out that some incoming targets, especially drones, were shot down by allied aircraft before reaching Israel. “This limits the extent to which Israel is exposed to certain types of threats, and there appears to have been sufficient warning to build alliances.” Be prepared” response, meaning the system is better prepared than it would be if it were hit by a similar attack with less warning. “