There have been five main remaining challenging categories pertaining to Iran’s air defenses during the current war and the June 2025 12 Day War following the air force’s destruction of Tehran’s top air defense tier of Russian-made S-300 missile systems in October 2024.
The top category concerns Iran’s most advanced mobile anti-aircraft missile system. This involves a dozen or more missiles clustered together on a vehicle.
In June 2025, the air force destroyed about 50% of those. By now, it is said to have destroyed around 92%.
Next is an Iranian version of the RIM-66 Standard, a medium-range surface-to-air missile that Iran purchased from the US before 1979.
While relatively old, the anti-aircraft missiles associated with the system can still strike aircraft at a reported distance of 60-75 kilometers.
These systems are more spread out, and Israel destroyed 75% of them in June 2025 and in the current conflict combined.
There are then even older and less threatening anti-aircraft systems, of which the Israel Air Force destroyed around 75% in June 2025, and up to 80% in the current conflict.
Beyond that, there are Iran’s long-range radar systems. Around 70% were destroyed in June 2025 compared to around 80% so far in the current round.
Potential threats to Israeli aircraft
All of the above mechanisms pose a long-range threat to Israeli aircraft.
They have been used to fire dozens of missiles at aircraft during the current conflict, with at least one very close call that was widely reported.
The final category has to do with Iran’s last line of defense – its short-range anti-air systems, which are likely only able to engage Israeli drones.
To date, between 10 and 20 Israeli drones have been shot down, but not a single Israeli aircraft.
Even those drones that have been shot down were considered expendable, and some were one-way or kamikaze drones anyway.