Italy Deploys Eurofighters to Support U.S.-Led War Effort Against Iran

The Italian Air Force has deployed Eurofighters, air-defence systems and surveillance assets to the Gulf region as part of an effort to support the U.S.-led war effort against Iran, which represents one of the Southern European country’s most significant overseas air-defence operations in recent years. This follows multiple reports in March that five Eurofighters at Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait were targeted by Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps drones, destroying three Kuwaiti Air Force Eurofighters and severely damaging two Italian Air Force Eurofighters. This follows the confirmed destruction of an Italian Air Force MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance and attack drone at the same facility, and strikes on Italian ground forces at facilities in Iraq by Iranian-aligned Iraqi paramilitary groups. 

France, the United Kingdom, and Turkey have all deployed fighter aircraft to support air defence efforts against Iran, after the United States and Israel launched attacks on the country on February 28, prompting Iranian forces to retaliate by striking U.S. military facilities and strategic targets across the region. French Air Force Rafale fighters have reportedly been deployed to Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, where they have been conducting air-security patrols over the United Arab Emirates, while the British Royal Air Force in January pre-positioned Eurofighter FGR4 combat jets operating under No. 12 Squadron at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Turkish F-16s have operated from bases in Turkey and from Cyprus. Italian Eurofighters will further contribute to broader efforts by European NATO members to constrain Iran’s retaliatory capabilities. 

The Eurofighter’s Captor mechanically scanned array radar has for decades been considered obsolete, limiting the fighter’s ability to engage stealth targets or operate in environments where they could face advanced electronic warfare systems. Their radars are not only out of date, but also very small relative to those carried by fighters such as U.S. Air Force F-15s and the Su-30SM2 and Su-35 fighters Iran has on order. The Eurofighters are nevertheless expected to remain viable for basic air defence operations against low value drones such as the Shahed 136. Operations over the Middle East can place considerable strain on air-to-air missile stockpiles, as demonstrated by the serious concerns raised in France regarding the depletion of stockpiles due to Rafale air defence operations over the United Arab Emirates.