Iran Deploys Advanced EW System “Cobra V8” for Jamming Enemy Reconnaissance Aircraft

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIAS) — Iranian military has reportedly deployed its second unit of advanced electronic warfare systems called “Cobra V8” in Bandar Abbas, capable of jamming enemy reconnaissance aircraft approaching its airspace.

With a jamming range of up to 250km against enemy reconnaissance aircraft, Iran’s “Cobra V8” electronic warfare system was reported to have obstructed the operations of maritime surveillance aircraft P-8 Poseidon through jamming activities.

During the incident, the US Navy’s P-8 Poseidon aircraft was operating in the Persian Gulf.

The multi-mission electronic warfare system Cobra V8 is capable of intercepting, analyzing, and jamming enemy radar signals.

 Developed by Iran Electronic Industries (IEI), the Cobra V8 electronic warfare system is capable of jamming radar signals from both airborne and ground-based platforms as well as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

 

Last year, CEO of IEI Iran, Admiral Amir Rastegari, claimed that they had successfully jammed two foreign reconnaissance aircraft believed to belong to the United States using electronic warfare (EW) systems developed by Iran itself.

He claimed that the incident occurred in the country’s airspace and involved the US Navy’s P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

“The foreign reconnaissance aircraft were flying within the Flight Information Region (FIR) and started emitting waves to gather intelligence, and we disrupted the activities carried out by the aircraft in question.”

“The pilots of the reconnaissance aircraft thought their aircraft was experiencing problems, so they contacted their base claiming there was an issue with the aircraft’s systems and that they would return to base.”

“We have recordings of that conversation,” he said in an interview with Tasnim news agency.

“We (Iran) have been developing electronic warfare capabilities for several years to protect the country’s airspace and waters, and every ‘attacker’ has felt our capabilities,” he said.

 

Iran claims its engineers have developed technology enabling them to detect the “electronic fingerprints” of their enemy’s electronic equipment, including radar waves used by fifth-generation US fighter jets, the F-35.

Rastegari, who made the claim last year, said that due to arms embargoes on Iran since 1979, the country has developed a high-capacity domestic electronic defense industry.

This capability, he said, includes radar and various guided missile systems up to satellites and electronic warfare systems.

“We have the ‘electronic fingerprints’ of enemy electronic equipment. Just as a fingerprint is unique to each human, it is the same with electromagnetic systems, and we have succeeded in developing technology (to detect them) for several years,” he told local media.

“For example, if an F-35 fighter jet starts operating and monitoring using its radar, (its radar) will emit different waves from other F-35 fighter jets’ radars.”

 

“Today, we can identify those waves (radar waves) and we can receive and analyze aspects of telecommunications, radio, magnetic signals, and determine which F-35 aircraft they belong to,” he said.

According to him, if the same F-35 fighter jet is operating, Iran will know it immediately afterward.

Iran’s ability to monitor all dimensions of the electromagnetic waves generated by enemy fighter jets enables Iran to plan its defense operations as effectively as possible, Rastegari said. – DSA