US forces successfully intercepted 70 drones and three ballistic missiles during an Iranian attack on April 13, thwarting much of the assault. Iran had launched over 300 drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles in a large-scale strike against Israel, exceeding US military expectations.
F-15 Pilots Face Unprecedented Challenges
F-15 pilot Major Benjamin “Irish” Coffey and weapons systems officer Captain Lacie “Sonic” Hester faced intense challenges during the mission. After running out of missiles, they attempted to down an Iranian drone using the aircraft’s gun, flying dangerously low in complete darkness. The effort failed, highlighting the extreme risks involved.
“You feel the terrain rush, you feel yourself getting closer and closer to the ground. The risk was just too high to try again,” Coffey explained.
The Chaos on the Ground
At a US military base in the Middle East, air defenses worked tirelessly to intercept incoming missiles and drones, while troops sought shelter in bunkers. This attack was widely seen as a likely Iranian response to Israel’s earlier strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria, which killed several members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“When we were getting our brief to go fly that night, we still had no idea. It could have just been a bust — just another sortie of flying in a circle, waiting for it to happen,” Hester recounted.
Modern Aerial Warfare Poses New Challenges
Lt. Col. Timothy “Diesel” Causey highlighted the difficulties of combating drones in modern warfare, stating, “Attack drones are a low-cost, low-risk option for the enemy. They can deploy them in massive numbers, and we must engage them to protect civilians and our allies.”
He also noted the limitations of current training, saying, “We hadn’t started practising on a large scale yet.”
F-15 pilots face significant hurdles when countering drones, which are often slow-moving and evade advanced radar systems. “You’re dealing with targets that push the limits of a fighter aircraft’s ability to detect and respond—what we call ‘find, fix, track, target, and engage,’” Coffey elaborated.
Honoring Acts of Bravery
Many of the F-15 pilots, aircrew, and ground crew involved in the operation were recognized for their extraordinary courage. Major Coffey and Captain Hester received the Silver Star, the third-highest military honor for valor in combat. Lt. Col. Causey and Major Culver were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with valor, the highest honor for aerial achievement, while others, including Wicks, were presented with the Bronze Star for ground combat heroism.