A US fighter pilot rescued after his F-15 was shot down over Iran in April told intelligence officials he witnessed an unusual formation of Iranian drones moments before ejecting, according to multiple sources to CNN.
During post-rescue debriefing the pilot described seeing several drones moving together in a coordinated pattern that looked like a jellyfish. The account has led to questions by US intelligence community as officials work to determine exactly what was observed and whether i's a previously unknown Iranian capability.
“Multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs,” one source familiar with the pilot’s account told CNN. “Real alien sh*t.”
Another source said the pilot described a “minefield of drones” in the air.
The F-15, carrying a pilot and a weapons systems officer, was downed during the conflict with Iran. US forces launched an immediate search-and-rescue operation. The pilot was recovered within hours, while the weapons systems officer avoided capture in mountainous terrain for more than a day before also being rescued. It remains unclear whether the second crew member saw the same drone formation.
A second US aircraft, an A-10, was also lost during the rescue mission, though its pilot ejected safely outside Iranian airspace.
Officials have not determined what caused the F-15 to be shot down. Initial assessments suggested the reported drone formation may have somehow contributed to the aircraft's loss, according to two sources.
Intelligence personnel questioned the pilot's recollection during debriefings, says CNN. He suffered a concussion in the crash and had previously survived another shootdown earlier in the war during a friendly-fire incident involving Kuwaiti forces, sources said.
The capability described by the pilot has been identified by sources as “one-to-many meshed networking,” a system that allow multiple drones to operate in coordination in a single operator. While US intelligence had not previously assessed Iran as possessing that capability, sources said there have been reports of Iranian drone-development assistance from China and Russia.
During post-rescue debriefing the pilot described seeing several drones moving together in a coordinated pattern that looked like a jellyfish. The account has led to questions by US intelligence community as officials work to determine exactly what was observed and whether i's a previously unknown Iranian capability.
“Multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs,” one source familiar with the pilot’s account told CNN. “Real alien sh*t.”
Another source said the pilot described a “minefield of drones” in the air.
The F-15, carrying a pilot and a weapons systems officer, was downed during the conflict with Iran. US forces launched an immediate search-and-rescue operation. The pilot was recovered within hours, while the weapons systems officer avoided capture in mountainous terrain for more than a day before also being rescued. It remains unclear whether the second crew member saw the same drone formation.
A second US aircraft, an A-10, was also lost during the rescue mission, though its pilot ejected safely outside Iranian airspace.
Officials have not determined what caused the F-15 to be shot down. Initial assessments suggested the reported drone formation may have somehow contributed to the aircraft's loss, according to two sources.
Intelligence personnel questioned the pilot's recollection during debriefings, says CNN. He suffered a concussion in the crash and had previously survived another shootdown earlier in the war during a friendly-fire incident involving Kuwaiti forces, sources said.
The capability described by the pilot has been identified by sources as “one-to-many meshed networking,” a system that allow multiple drones to operate in coordination in a single operator. While US intelligence had not previously assessed Iran as possessing that capability, sources said there have been reports of Iranian drone-development assistance from China and Russia.
