Israeli drones have hummed over enemy skies for years, mostly unscathed, collecting intel and launching strikes with pinpoint accuracy.
But this time around, it was different. Amidst a rapid-paced regional conflict, Iran pulled off the impossible feat of shooting down not one, but three of Israel’s coveted Hermes 900 drones. Was it an error?
A fluke? Or an innovation in the new wave of drone warfare? What happened next shocked military planners and altered the balance in the skies over the Middle East.
Unmanned, Not Untouchable
The Hermes 900, Israel’s crowning glory in air warfare and spying is no ordinary drone. It remains airborne for more than 36 hours and works without being seen by the pilot.
With a payload weighing almost half a ton, it’s accustomed to hovering over danger—literally and figuratively. That’s why the destruction of three such drones was so shocking.
A 12-Day War with High Stakes
The last 12-day war between Israel and Iran was not like any other. This time, both countries had pitched in higher stakes with cyber warfare, secret operations, and precise drone attacks.
Israeli drones were probing the Iranian defenses amid chaos. But this time, Iran didn’t only defend, they retaliated. And they didn’t miss.
Hezbollah’s Shadow Play
By the time Iran effectively shot down the drones, Hezbollah had already demonstrated it could shoot down the Hermes 900—not just once, but twice in short-fire engagements with Israel in 2024.
With surface-to-air missiles and advanced targeting, Hezbollah destroyed the drones with otherworldly ease. That didn’t stay a secret for long.
The “Axis of Resistance” Strikes Back
Iran and Hezbollah belong to so-called “Axis of Resistance”—a loosely affiliated but tightly coordinated collection of anti-Israel fighters.
They are known for exchanging tactics and intelligence with each other. Hezbollah is believed to have traded its Hermes 900 take-down methods with Iranian troops just before the war.
Not Just Luck: A Layered Defense
Iranian drone shootdowns were not accidents. They were the product of accumulated and sophisticated air defense systems.
With the Sayyad-2, Arman, and Russian S-300 missiles, Iran converged various systems—augmented by Ghadir radar sets—to make airspace hostile to advanced drones such as the Hermes 900.
High-Tech Hunter Becomes the Hunted
Even with all that Israel did to destroy Iran’s air defenses at the beginning of the war—sabotage and cyber-attacks—Iran’s AD systems weren’t totally destroyed.
Some sites still remained online and lethal. It is in these shielded areas that the Hermes 900s were destroyed, communication probably obstructed before they crashed.
Drone vs. Defense: Who Wins?
The Hermes 900 is not unarmed. It has electronic warfare assets, ELINT sensors to intercept communications, and countermeasures to fire. But those assets were insufficient.
One of the drones was shot down in Markazi Province by air defense missiles. Another was reported as destroyed by a radar-guided intercept. The hunter has become the hunted.
Anatomy of a Drone Giant
With its Rotax 914-powered engine, the Hermes 900 can cruise at 30,000 feet with a 1,000-km range. Versatile, it can carry Rafael Spike missiles or glide bombs.
From hyperspectral sensors to thermal cameras, it’s a surveillance giant—and one Israel can’t afford to lose often.
A History of Dominance
First designed in 2009 and first deployed in 2014’s Operation Protective Edge, the Hermes 900 easily surpassed its predecessor, the Hermes 450.
While not fully integrated at first release, by 2015 it was a central part of Israeli intelligence gathering, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon. The loss of a single one is a huge blow.
Cracks in Israeli Air Superiority
Israel’s air force is the world’s best. But in this incident, cracks are ominously in the making—small but spreading.
With Iran learning to counter Israeli strategies like early warning and jamming, dreams of invincibility from the skies could be crumbling. The message? Iran is learning. And fast.
Signal Jamming: The Silent Weapon
Military experts are certain that Iran employed electronic jamming to shut down the satellite links of the drones and render them blind before the launches of the missiles.
Silent attacks are less detectable but no less lethal. It’s an art that can be replicated elsewhere—and not just by independent states.
Beyond the Headlines
As the West was admiring Israel’s speed-of-light strikes and technological capabilities, Iran’s tenacity went unseen. Literally.
By shooting down Hermes 900s, Iran demonstrated it’s not as weak as some believed. And if it can do that now, what will it do in the next war—when it’s even better trained and prepared?
The Future of Drone Warfare
Destroying three Hermes 900s will not destroy Israeli drones. But it demonstrates a new era when superior UAVs are in real danger in even enemy skies.
With tactical intelligence being shared among allied forces, drone warfare is no longer asymmetrical. Even Middle Eastern skies are contested today.
