Middle Eastern skies have long been recognizable as a theater of an expensive technology arms race. Israel’s F-35I “Adir” stealth fighter aircraft slices through Iran’s increasingly long list of air defenses and shows the world what the new aerial combat face is in a region of the world where military progress runs marathons but skepticism never ceases.
Israeli Stealth Bombing: F-35I “Adir” in Combat
Israel’s operational deployment of the F-35I “Adir” against solely Iranian targets sees a new epoch of Middle Eastern air combat. Israel commenced one of the largest F-35 missions ever launched, consisting of as many as 200 aircraft, some of which were F-35Is, conducting coordinated operations against Iranian military and nuclear targets, under Operation Rising Lion.
The F-35I, in the IAF configuration, flew these missions, well within Iran, to destroy top-priority targets such as the Natanz nuclear fuel enrichment facility and buried missile silos. In an Israeli Defense Forces video uploaded, F-35Is were incorporated as pathfinder strike assets with full stealth capability to penetrate Iran’s multi-layered air defenses.
The missions were not just physical pieces of hardware. Targeted firing enabled the Israeli air capability to strike the central command and military and nuclear scientists working on nuclear projects, disrupting the space in the battlefield and disorienting Iran’s planning and operations at the military and nuclear levels. Hardware like conformal fuel tanks and high-end electronic warfare capabilities enabled the aircraft to enjoy greater range and remain stealthy, which means technological overmatch and operating flexibility.
Iranian Air Defense Development: S-300, Bavar-373, and S-400
Iran itself has proven costly to keep up with in terms of being able to pay for its air defenses in order to be able to defend against. While the Russian S-300 has remained at the epicenter of its system for years, Iran has also developed the Bavar-373, a locally produced long-range missile defense system similar to or superior to the S-300. Military trials have already demonstrated that the Bavar-373 can detect and intercept drones with a smaller radar cross-section than an F-35; some expect, at least theoretically, detection of stealth aircraft at very distant ranges.
Iran, however, indicated that it had deployed the S-400 Russian missile defense system, further boosting its capability to push away fighter jets. Even though analysts really state that joining them is complex and their cumulative effect on recent attacks isn’t realized,
The Battle for the Skies: Reality vs. Claims
The battle between Israeli stealth and Iranian air defense has created a cross-denying shroud of tales. Others were sensational tales that four stealth fighters went missing over Iranian airspace, but Iranian media went out of their way to report that some F-35s were downed. Iranian officials say they control their airspace and claim any invasion is repelled with fierce resistance. Israel dismissed these reports entirely. IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee had quoted the reports as “completely baseless,” and there is no report from any external source that it is so.
The only known fact is that Iranian air defense compelled Israeli pilots to improvise. F-35s in the October 2024 campaigns reportedly were caught off guard by radar detection and jamming hundreds of kilometers away from targets. This necessitated pre-emptive firing of ammunition and tactical withdrawal before optimum points of attack. Israeli commanders were shocked that Iranian radars detected stealth aircraft so far away, and that is a mind-boggling upgrade in Iran’s defense systems. Despite all these issues, Israeli planes struck key Iranian facilities, such as command and nuclear centers, at will, and every returning plane was undamaged. Satellite images and Iranian concessions provided evidence of damage to top targets despite official Tehran’s denial of the effect.
Strategic Implications for the Region
Cat and mouse between Israeli stealth technology and Iranian defenses is remapping Middle Eastern strategic maps. F-35I air wins in contested airspace for Israel have justified decades of investment in creating world-class fighter aircraft and air combat training simulators. Air bombing of hardened targets deep inside Iran resounds loudly as an exhibition of deterrence for the Middle East.
For Iran, demonstrating the ability to detect and track stealth fighters is a leap forward in making credible claims of capability to deny airspace. Bavar-373 is the final demonstration of capability via indigenization for targeting technologically superior adversaries. With such capabilities demonstrated, if it were equipped, it would reverse the game of power by negating fifth-generation superiority, such as the F-35.
The psychological and strategic implications have greater consequences than the immediate short-term military impact. Conceptions of stealth aircraft as invulnerable would cause other countries to spend money on advanced air-defense systems and lead to air wars in the future at a costly price. Since both sides are learning and evolving continuously, the skies over the Middle East are a proving ground for tomorrow’s air war—a day when technology, attitude, and strategy will be as important as bombs and missiles.
