Satellite image catches decades old American F-5 Jets on an Iranian airbase and offers a snapshot of Tehran's vintage Air Force

• New satellite images of an Iranian basis shows various aging F-5 fighter jets.

• The F-5S made by the US, which flew for the first time in the 1950s, are part of Iran's outdated air force.

• Tehran relies heavily on his rocket and drone arsenal, instead of crew members.

A new satellite image taken from an Iranian airbase showed a handful of decades old, American-made F-5 hunters and offered a look at Tehran's outdated air force.

The photo, recorded on Tuesday by the American commercial satellite image company Maxar Technologies and obtained by Business Insider in the midst of Israeli strikes on Iranian military assets, showed six F-5s on alert and spread over the Debase Air Base in West-Iran.

The part of the base did not seem to have been aimed by Israel, which has spent the past six days with the launch of air strikes against Iranian nuclear and military facilities. The intensive bombing has caused widespread damage throughout the country and killed a number of senior commanders.

There are different variants of the F-5 Supersonic Light Fighter made by the American aircraft manufacturer Northrop Corporation. The early F-5 took its first flight in the late 1950s and was introduced for the next decade.

The US bought thousands of these planes for use by allies. Iran, once an American ally, acquired F-5A/B freedom fighters and F-5E/F Tiger IIS in the sixties and seventies, built his air force before the Iranian Revolution of 1979 refueled the relationships between the two countries, ending logistics, maintenance and technological support.

It is estimated that Iran has employed a few dozen F-5s in recent years, with many of the originally purchased fighter jets or has long been removed in the midst of tribes when maintaining the aircraft. The US Army, in particular the Air Force and the Navy, still uses the Jet for training purposes, although not for active combat operations.

Iran Air Force is fairly outdated and outdated because of international sanctions and other embargos that prevent the country from getting more high -tech weapons, but also critical components and parts. Apart from the F-5, Tehran operates other outdated planes, including the Soviet era SU-24 and MIG-29, and the American F-14 Tomcat.

Earlier this year, an Iranian officer said that Tehran had bought newer SU-35 aircraft from Russia, but it is unclear how much or no or no were delivered.

The Israel Defense Forces said on Monday that it had bombed two F-14s at Tehran's most important airport, which marked what it described as “another loss of strategic weapons for the enemy.” The IDF also confirmed on Wednesday that it affected five Iranian attack helicopters.

Iran has limited in its Air Force and has invested heavily in developing a large arsenal of ballistic rockets and attack drones.

The Israeli Air Force, on the other hand, operates newer and more powerful aircraft, such as the F-35i Stealth Fighter and the older but very effective F-16 and F-15 Jets. Israeli officials said that with its mix of the fourth and fifth generation of hunters, the country has reached air superiority about Iran's seams, including Tehran, after beating its air defense.

In the midst of fighting between Israel and Iran, a different image of Maxar showed on Tuesday what looked like on various of the Shahed-136-attack drones of Iran on and next to trailers parked on a taxiway at Dezful.

Iran has used his notorious Shahed-136s in his constant retaliation attacks on Israel. Tehran has also sent many of these drones, also described as full -hanging ammunition, to Russia, who used them to perform strikes on Ukrainian cities and civil infrastructure. Russia also produces its own domestic version of the Shahed-136, which has increasingly become a problem for Ukraine.

Israeli combat aircraft have launched hundreds of air strikes in Iran since Friday, aimed at the nuclear program of the country, are leading scientists, senior commanders, air defenses, rocket throwers, production sites for weapons, bases and other military infrastructure.

Iran, in turn, has taken revenge against Israel by launching around 400 ballistic rockets and hundreds of drones.

Read the original article about Business Insider