[papertyger]

the newest of the lot - the heavily customized two-seat F-16I Block 52+ Soufa (“Storm”) [likely the type just lost ].

That's rather unsettling. If they took down a front line fighter with two heads in it perhaps all their talk of "a new strategic era" is more than just prattle.

[ASOC]

Well....

“Syrian air defenses” is a very broad statement. ** Could have been ** a state of the art Russian radar controlled SAM or MANPAD or
using the big sky - little bullet theory, they might have been unlucky enough to have run into a ZU-23-4 or -2 - an unlucky day on the job. AKA a magic bullet.

At least they got home.

[buckalfa]

"That's rather unsettling. If they took down a front line fighter with two heads in it perhaps all their talk of "a new strategic era" is more than just prattle."

The Russian air defense system must be effective as advertised if manned by Ivan. Still do not underestimate Israel's ability to adapt. Putin is the Middle East wild card.