First of all, the Navy guys are very cross with AirforcePundit for saying that “only” the Air Force can get the job done. They can take that outside. But while most readers seem to agree with the general thrust of Air Force Pundit’s points a few dissent. From Confederate Yankee:
Jonah,
This is all open-source, on-the-record stuff, so it can be repeated.
Israel has F-15i and F-16i fighters thought to be have the range to make Iranian targets on a direct flight without refueling, though they would have to violate several Arab nations airspace to do so. They also likely have up to 100 5,000 lbs GBU-28 “bunker buster” bombs. Congress approved the sale last year. these planes and bombs were purchased specifically for an Iran threat. They’ve been anticipating this stuff a long time.
I’m not fishing for a link (this time!) but I did cover this in some detail in late December, and that post is pretty well linked to supporting docs if you’d like to quickly get up to speed on Israeli air options.
And there’s this interesting email:
Dear Jonah: It was my privilege in the 70’s to help train the first pilots for the Israeli AF in the F-15. In the mid 60’s I had some Iranian pilots in my Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) Class. The contrast between the Arab and Israeli was more than dramatic. The Israeli’s were in a class by themselves. One of the conversations I had in a debriefing with an Israeli pilot was illuminating. He had used up all of his airspeed/energy trying to get a shot on me (I was the Instructor) and I was able to reverse the tables and get a shot on him. I remarked in the debrief that he just needed to be a bit more patient, maintain his energy and he would have been able to get a shot in a minute or two. As it was, he had pissed away his energy and I was able to take advantage. His response was illuminating and a light bulb came on. He said: “George, you must understand we fight the man, not the machine and the Arab isn’t capable of doing what you did!” A light bulb went on and I have never forgotten that mission. The Israeli’s fly two to three times a day. They are young, aggressive and extremely skilled. They are smart and they will not be beaten by the Iranian Air Force, as they have also never been beaten by the Syrian/Egyptian/Iraqi Air Forces. The Iranian’s don’t fly often and their aviating skills are less than stellar!
As far as can the Israelis attack Iran with success the answer is yes. There are significant obstacles but if the survival of Israel is at stake, they will find a way, and I do not believe any weapon the Israelis have will be off limits!
Note: Just to head-off pedantry: I am aware that Iranians aren’t Arabs.






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