While the Iranian Air Force is nonexistent at the moment and has some air defence missiles and air defence systems, the Islamic Republic depends largely on the exceptional usage of drones and missiles, long-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles. All this has been very intelligently developed as a strategy against an enemy that is much stronger and possesses overwhelming firepower, actually, he added.
"Iran's response to American-Israeli strikes needs a very careful study because it's not something that's reactive; it is something that they probably have prepared for more than two to three decades. Besides, evolving these capabilities and these strategies has been fine-tuned. That's the primary reason why they're able to withstand such an onslaught against them and still respond so effectively," Matheswaran underscored.
Notably, American military assets in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, amongst others, have suffered notable losses of advanced military equipment.
Among aircraft, F-15E Strike Eagles and KC-135 Tankers (Mid-Air Refuelers) have been lost, while an F-35 was also hit by an Iranian missile, according to a statement released by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Additional high-value targets that Iran has damaged are an early warning radar at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base, which is worth $1.1 billion, and around 4 AN/TPY-2 Radars linked with the THAAD air defence system, each valued at approximately $300 million, in the UAE, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
"The most important lesson that the Indian military needs to actually pick out is how the Iranians have mastered the technology. Each of their missiles is accurate, and their weapon systems are largely their own development, with their missile production and their technology development being a 30-year story," Matheswaran explained.