American pilot rescued from Iran crash saw 'jellyfish' drone swarm: 'Real alien s***'
· Toronto Sun
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An American F-15 pilot who was rescued after being shot down in Iran in April said the Iranian drones that swarmed his plane looked like a “jellyfish” formation before he ejected.
On April 3, Iranian military attacked an F-15E Strike Eagle carrying the pilot and a weapons-system officer. The pilot was rescued hours after ejecting while the other crew member evaded capture for more than a day before being recovered by U.S. forces.
In a report published by CNN , the pilot claimed during a debriefing with U.S. intelligence officials that he saw a drone formation that looked like a jellyfish.
‘Interconnected and moving as one’
The pilot told officials he saw “multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs.”
“Real alien s***,” he said, per CNN.
The jellyfish-like manoeuvre suggested a development in Iran’s ability to use drones in large quantities while in battle.
The exact cause of the American F-15 jet to go down is still being investigated, CNN reported. The news outlet’s sources stated it’s possible the jellyfish formation enabled Iran to take down the jet.
CNN said it was not clear if the weapons systems officer also saw the drone formation.
Intelligence officials who debriefed the pilot disagreed on whether he could recall the incident clearly after getting a concussion in the crash, according to CNN.
Iran claims new air defence system
The Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command from Iran said the day of the shoot-down that it had created a new air defence system that was used to target the U.S. fighter jet with three drones and two cruise missiles.
“The enemy should know that we rely on new air-defence systems built by the young, knowledgeable, and proud people of this country, unveiling them one after another in the field,” a military spokesperson said at the time.
After being shot down, American military launched a multi-sourced rescue mission to recover the missing officer, whom officials said only had a handgun to defend himself while in Iran. He was rescued by two military helicopters the same day, CBS News reported.
The outlet reported the CIA had launched a campaign to spread fake information that the airman had already been found and recovered.
Two days later, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the second airman had been recovered and deemed “safe and sound” and was “just fine” despite sustaining injuries.