Deep in Iran - D., a cool-headed fighter pilot, gives a rare account of the strike that stunned Iran and the world. “We’re hitting the missiles heading our way before they’re launched.”
By AMIR BOHBOT
Captain D., 25, an F-16 pilot, completed flight school two and a half years ago. Against all odds, he participated in the first wave of airstrikes that shocked all of Iran, in a coordinated mission using hundreds of aircraft of various types.
D.: “In the first strike, we hit all sorts of targets. Different types - I can’t go into detail.”
Did you target air defense systems, command centers, senior figures, weapons systems? What did you hit?
D.: “I didn’t hit any individuals…”
Was this the longest flight you’ve ever done?
D.: “Yes.”
What do you do during the long flight — 1,500 km from Israel?
D.: “Mainly focus. I re-brief myself, speak with the navigator, analyze scenarios and responses, think through how the strike will look at the end point, run simulations in my head.”
And on the way back?
D.: “Focus on landing safely (laughs…)”
What do you say to each other in the cockpit after the strikes, on the way home?
D.: “There’s a little joke between us in the cockpit - there’s a moment to talk about the crazy thing we just did. We’re up there over enemy territory, above their heads, flying through their airspace, hitting them, influencing things in their area - not over our home.”
What about threats on the way to the target, in Iranian airspace?
D.: “When you’re that far from home, it’s complex - you need to keep that in mind. This is the most threatening area I’ve ever operated in. I’m always prepared.”
A long flight, hundreds of refuelings. How long can you sustain this operational tempo - flying to Iran, striking, and returning?
D.: “Look, people here are eager to go, to make an impact, to strike. I feel we’ll continue as long as needed. There’s stamina. Also from the support we get back home - from the public, from the home front that has our backs, and all the love the IAF is receiving right now for all the work being done.”
Did you feel threatened while you were there?
D.: “No. I didn’t experience any real sense of threat - not because I wasn’t prepared for it.”
How do you describe the Air Force’s achievements?
D.: “I saw us hitting those who threaten Israel. We’re taking out missiles before they’re launched and in the air, we’re downing drones heading toward us. And beyond that, we’re flying over enemy land, above their heads, operating in their skies, hitting them in their arena - not ours.”
When did it sink in — what you’d done? The significance of that first strike over Iran?
D.: “When it came out in the media, who was eliminated, what was destroyed, and what were the other significant achievements. When it was published that we struck launchers and missiles. We’re defending the Israeli home front, and in order to keep doing that, we’re also targeting anti-aircraft batteries - so that we can maintain air superiority, keep flying there, and carry out our missions.”
Right before you flew to Iran, a ground crew arrived, ‘signed off’ on the plane, and cleared it for takeoff.
D.: “The feeling is one of total confidence. Everyone’s in it together — on the same mission.”
What was the most emotional moment in that first strike on Iran?
D.: “There are two. The big one is after landing - when I see the coverage of the event’s scale, and I realize what I took part in, that I was in a historic operation. It’s a powerful, really wild feeling. The second is right after the strike - once it’s over, everything went well, and we’re already westbound, headed home to Israel. You breathe easily and say, ‘Nice. We did it. I did my part in this mission."
What do you do right after landing?
D.: “Routine. You go see what the results of your strike were - there’s always some debate about what’s next. I go check if my name is on the board for the next round - and then I go to sleep.”
20/06/2025 by THE JERUSALEM POST
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario