A US fighter jet pilot shot down over Iran in April reported seeing multiple Iranian drones hovering in the air, moving as one, in a formation that resembled a jellyfish, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Incident Sparks Debate

The account, which has not been previously reported, was shared by the F-15 pilot with intelligence officials during a debriefing after the incident. It immediately set off a debate within the US intelligence community that has yet to be resolved.

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.

Implications of Iranian Drone Capabilities

If the airman really saw what he described, 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, such as Russia and China, are believed to have this capability.

The development of Iran’s 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: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.