TEHRAN – Deep inside underground IRGC facility, Iran put wreckage of downed US and Israeli military equipment on display. Among the debris, one detail quickly caught attention, which according to Tehran is loaded with Starlink communication gear reportedly linked to Elon Musk’s satellite network, alongside US MQ-9 Reapers, Israeli drones and an F-15 wreckage.
Iranian state TV shows equipment inside underground air-defence facility operated by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Among the debris were parts of US MQ-9 Reaper drones, wreckage linked to an Israeli Hermes 450, an apparently intact Hermes 900 and remains identified by Iranian officials as belonging to a US F-15 fighter jet. But one detail immediately stood out: Starlink equipment was reportedly found on the downed American drones.
The satellite technology allowed drones to send operational data more quickly, describing it as a major upgrade compared with communication systems used on US and Israeli drones in earlier conflicts.
Iran’s air-defence forces claimed shooting down ten manned aircraft during the war. IRGC claimed that large numbers of drones and cruise missiles were destroyed, including 171 unmanned aircraft. One incident received particular attention as American F-15 was shot down on April 3 by a newly developed Iranian air-defence system.
Iranian officials claimed the system gave the fighter crew only seconds to react before the aircraft was struck. IRGC says its defence industry also emerged from the bombardment in better shape than expected. More than 85 percent of Iran’s air-defence production infrastructure, it claimed, survived the attacks, while missile and drone production has reportedly risen above pre-war levels.
Iranian display comes after a Washington Post report said the US lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones during the conflict, about a quarter of its pre-war fleet. These are not inexpensive losses. A single Reaper can reportedly cost up to $50 million and is capable of carrying missiles for strike missions as well as conducting surveillance over long distances.
Starlink tech used in US-Iran battle?
Starlink equipment has added another layer to the story. Iran reportedly deployed electronic-warfare systems capable of jamming satellite communications and spoofing GPS signals early in the conflict. Such measures were intended to interfere with communications and navigation systems used by advanced military platforms.
Tehran also made separate allegations about Starlink terminals being brought into the country before the unrest. Officials said thousands of terminals were moved into Iran to help maintain communications during internet shutdowns, and says the US State Department had obtained around 7,000 terminals for possible use there.
Iranian officials have gone further, accusing Washington and Tehran of supporting violent groups during the unrest and alleging attacks on protesters, security personnel, government facilities and mosques.
Those claims remain fiercely disputed, with Iran, the US and Israel offering very different accounts of the protests, foreign involvement and the events that eventually led to the military campaign.
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