(Bloomberg) — Qatar’s Ministry of Defense said its air force downed two Iranian Su-24 jets, the first crewed aircraft from the Islamic Republic known to be destroyed in combat since fighting began last week.
Many of Iran’s bombers have been destroyed on the ground during early airstrikes meant to hamper Tehran’s ability to protect itself.
Although Iran struck targets around the region with waves of drones and ballistic missiles, it hadn’t attempted an attack with air-launched weapons so far.
Drones hit a QatarEnergy facility in Ras Laffan, prompting the company to halt liquefied natural gas production there. Prices in Europe surged.
Qatar didn’t say what weapons the Su-24s may have been armed with, but Iran may operate cruise missiles of unknown capability, according to International Institute of Strategic Studies data. The fate of each plane’s two-person crew wasn’t disclosed.
The Soviet-era Su-24 is a supersonic strike aircraft that can carry as much as 17,000 pounds of weapons. Iran’s air force only had 29 operational before the war, IISS data show. None of its combat aircraft have downed US or Israeli aircraft in the conflict.
“Israel and the US have air supremacy,” said Sascha Bruchmann of the IISS. “Thus far, neither the US nor Israel have had any significant losses that will affect their will or ability to sustain a campaign against Iran.”
However, three US fighter jets crashed after being mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, though all six aircrew ejected safely.
The Qatari government also said that it had intercepted seven ballistic missiles and five drones.
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