Amidst the news, it has emerged that part of the air defense system at Iran’s Isfahan military base was damaged due to an Israeli airstrike. Israeli media, including Kan, reported on the 21st (local time) that Israel used the Rampage air-to-ground missile in the strike.
Rampage, a new air-to-surface missile unveiled by Israel in 2018, was designed to assault principal infrastructures such as communication and command centers, air force bases, and maintenance centers.
The Rampage, weighing 1250 pounds, is a supersonic missile that can travel over 1242 miles per hour within a range of 189 miles.
The state-owned Israeli defense company, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), described Rampage as a long-range, air-to-ground, undetectable precision strike weapon.
Rampage can be launched from a fighter jet or as a standalone system, utilizing GPS/INS guidance navigation and jamming prevention features.
Mixed opinions appeared on whether Israel had retaliated against Iran on the 19th at the outset.
The U.S. claimed that Israel had fired missiles at the Iranian Isfahan military base after hearing an explosion near the base. At the same time, Iran maintained that they had only shot down a few drones and that the explosion was due to their air defense network.
Foreign media outlets, including BBC, displayed satellite images of the Isfahan military base airfield, suggesting that Iran had indeed been ambushed.
The BBC compared Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite images of the Isfahan military base airfield taken by the private satellite company Umbra Space before the attack on the 15th and immediately after it on the morning of the 19th.
Consequently, Iran found wreckage believed to be from the S-300 air defense system radar installed at the airfield: Some pieces of the system were moved back to their original places, while others disappeared entirely after the batter.
Another satellite company, Planet Latook, took optical satellite images that indicated that one corner of the Isfahan base had been burned and turned black.
Meanwhile, the New York Times, citing two Western officials, put forth an analysis that Israel’s strike was carried out to demonstrate its ability to penetrate Iran’s air defense network and strike the mainland.
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