(Bloomberg) — Qatar’s defense ministry said its air force shot down two Iranian Su-24 jets, the first manned aircraft from the Islamic Republic known to have been destroyed in combat since fighting began last week.
Many Iranian bombers were destroyed on the ground during the early airstrikes intended to hinder Tehran’s ability to defend itself.
While Iran has attacked targets in the region with waves of drones and ballistic missiles, it has not yet attempted an air weapons attack.
Drones hit a QatarEnergy facility in Ras Laffan, prompting the company to shut down liquefied natural gas production there. Prices rose in Europe.
Qatar did not say what weapons the Su-24s may have been armed with, but according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Iran may be operating cruise missiles of unknown capability. The fate of each aircraft’s two-man crew has not been released.
The Soviet-era Su-24 is a supersonic strike aircraft that can carry up to 17,000 pounds of weapons. Iran’s air force had only 29 operational before the war, IISS data show. None of its warplanes shot down American or Israeli aircraft in the conflict.
“Israel and the US have air supremacy,” said Sascha Bruchmann of the IISS. “So far, neither the US nor Israel have had any significant losses that would affect their will or ability to sustain the campaign against Iran.”
However, three American fighters crashed after being accidentally shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, although all six crew ejected safely.
The Qatari government also said it intercepted seven ballistic missiles and five drones.
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