Iran could have downed F-15 fighter with Soviet or Russian system — expert

MOSCOW, April 8. /TASS/. The American F-15 fighter jet could have been destroyed by an Iranian air defense system of Soviet or Russian origin. Presumably, it could have been a Tor-M1 or S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, military expert and retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin told TASS. "It could have been shot down by a Tor-M1 system, which Iran has. These systems were once used to protect Iranian nuclear power plants. Since the Tor-M1 is a tracked system, it could be deployed anywhere, and since its range is about 20-30 kilometers, it could have hit the F-15. They also had our S-300 system. I don’t rule out that it’s still functional. This system operates at a range of up to 300 kilometers and could also have shot down this aircraft," the expert said. According to Litovkin, Iran has man-portable air defense systems such as the Igla and Verba, which can also be used against aircraft, despite their limited range. "Of course, their range is short - up to 10 kilometers - but even a single fighter with such a system on his shoulder could easily shoot down an F-15. The Americans are an arrogant people. They were confident they had destroyed Iran’s entire air defense system and flew wherever and however they wanted," he added. A two-seat American F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran on April 3. According to Axios portal, after ejecting, both crew members - the pilot and navigator - successfully contacted each other. The portal’s sources indicated that the pilot was rescued several hours after the plane went down. The American side later announced the rescue of the second crew member. On April 5, Military Watch Magazine reported that the operation to rescue the pilots of the F-15E fighter jet shot down over Iran resulted in unprecedented aircraft losses for the United States. According to the publication, the United States and Israel lost a total of 11 aircraft. Engagements with Iranian forces saw a total of 11 aircraft destroyed, it said.