A US fighter jet pilot rescued by special forces after being shot down over Iran in April described a shocking sight before ejecting from his aircraft: multiple Iranian drones hovering in the air, moving as one, in a formation that resembled a jellyfish.

Details of the Incident

The account, which has not been previously reported, was shared by the F-15 pilot with intelligence officials during a debriefing after the incident. The pilot described witnessing a ‘minefield of drones’ in the air, with multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs.

The exact cause of the F-15 downing is still being investigated, but initial reports indicated that it was possible the drone formation had in some way enabled Iran to shoot down the American jet. The F-15 carried a crew of two — a pilot and a weapons system officer. US forces immediately launched search and rescue efforts.

The downing of the F-15 fighter jet marked the first time a US aircraft has been shot down over Iran during the conflict. The pilot was rescued hours after ejecting from the aircraft, while the weapons systems officer evaded Iranian capture in the mountains for more than a day before also being rescued.

Implications of the Drone Capability

If the airman really saw what he described — a formation moving in unison — it would be an alarming advance in Iranian drone capabilities. The technical term for the capability described by the pilot is ‘one-to-many meshed networking,’ which allows an operator to command several drones at a time.

Other countries — Russia and China — are believed to have the capability. Any development in Iran’s already-sophisticated drone warfare program would be a concern for US forces and its allies in the region. Meshed networking could also theoretically be used to provide internet connectivity in remote areas without existing infrastructure.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.