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Israel Takes Control of Iran's Skies
(Wall Street Journal) Yaroslav Trofimov - Within 48 hours of the start of the war with Iran, Israel said it gained air superiority over the western part of the country, including Tehran. Israeli planes began dropping bombs from within Iranian skies instead of relying on expensive long-range missiles fired from a distance. War planners have known for decades that control over air is everything, if you can get it. U.S. Air Force Lt.-Gen. (ret.) David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said, "In the case of the Russia-Ukraine war, you see what happens when neither side can achieve air superiority: stalemate and devolution to attrition-based warfare. In the case of the Israel-Iran war, it allows them unhindered freedom to attack where they possess air superiority over segments of Iran." The initial Israeli airstrikes were using the fifth-generation stealth F-35 aircraft, enhanced with Israeli modifications. Now that most of Iranian air defenses have been suppressed, older warplanes such as the F-15 and F-16 are joining the fight. Israel has also started dropping short-range JDAM and Spice guided bombs, which are cheaper and much more abundant than missiles, to devastating effect.