An Israeli air force F-15
An Israeli reservist pilot has described the 'endless explosions' in the sky as he shot down Iranian missiles and drones launched towards his home country over the weekend, and how he was back in his office sending emails by 4pm.
The pilot, identified only as 'Major G,' said the air force taking the projectiles out of the sky was 'like Top Gun meets Star Wars' in an interview on Tuesday.
Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel on Saturday.
As the bombs hurtled towards Israel, the country's air force scrambled its jets to intercept them. With help from its allies the UK, US, France and Jordan - and British and American fighter jets - Israel downed 99 percent of them.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Major G called it 'the most complex mission of my life'.
An Israeli reservist pilot has described the 'endless explosions' in the sky as he shot down Iranian missiles and drones launched towards his home country over the weekend, and how he was back in his office sending emails by 4pm
Israel scrambled fighter jets and - with the help of allies including the UK and the US - was able to intercept 99 percent of the more than 300 missiles launched by Iran
This handout picture released by the Israeli Army on April 14, 2024 shows an Israeli Air Force fighter aircraft at an undisclosed airfield reportedly after a mission to intercept the missiles
A map shows where some of the missiles were intercepted, and where the few that got through Israel's defences stuck - including one which injured a seven-year-old girl
'It really was a different thing with hundreds of those UAVs and missiles in the air getting intercepted around you, like Top Gun meets Star Wars, endless explosions and interceptions going on around you,' he told the newspaper.
'It was the most complicated mission I've done in 20 years in the air force, knowing that if there is a missed target, maybe it blows up in Israel,' he said.
The Major praised the 'amazing coalition' with the UK, US and other allied forces and their response to a 'very aggressive' Iranian attack.
He said the type of attack had perhaps not been seen in modern warfare, and said of the Israeli response: 'You're seeing absolute defence in action.'
RAF Typhoons shot down several targets and helped allied pilots track other missiles and drones as they shot towards Israeli targets.
Israel would later say that 99 percent of the Iranian projectiles had been successfully intercepted.
There were no fatalities, but a seven-year-old Bedouin girl was injured by falling shrapnel from an Iranian missile.
According to The Telegraph, Major G has 3,000 flying hours under his belt.
Nevertheless, hunting low-flying cruise missiles is still a dangerous endeavour.
'It's always harder to find and take down these targets in the night. They're flying really low and so you fly low too but you're unable to see the ground,' he told the publication, explaining that pilots must rely on sensors.
Other things on the ground, such as street lights, feel very close, he said, which gives a 'very uncomfortable feeling,' even for the most experienced pilots.
A photo released by the Israeli air force after the mission to intercept the jets shows two pilots congratulating each other, after successfully blocking 99 percent of the missiles
An engineer is seen working on an Israeli fighter jet
A graphic released by the IDF shows the interception rate
He said he could see missiles being 'blown up' while flying at a low altitude in the dark, with projectiles exploding on his fighter jet's nose.
While there was no risk of his own plane being fired at (the missiles had been launched from hundreds of miles away), the main concern - he said - was missing one of the Iranian projectiles and it hitting Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or other Israeli towns.
'There's no second chance,' he told The Telegraph.
Major G said that he was at home with his wife and children when the call came in to scramble the jets to defend Israel from the incoming salvo.
He told The Telegraph that he always had a grab bag ready to go, and that - with it not being the first time he was called into action - his family are familiar with the situation.
'It happens every now and then, but nothing as extreme as last Saturday,' he added.
By day, Major G is a lawyer. He said he was back in the office by 4pm on Sunday 'shooting off emails'. Others in his squadron are teachers or engineers.
It is a complicated double life being a reservist pilot, he said, telling the newspaper that one minute he can be risking his life 'shooting down drones somewhere in the Middle East', and the next he's back to his normal day-to-day.
Since October 7, Major G said he has undertaken many missions, but none as dangerous as the interceptions over the weekend.
Despite this, he said, the outcome 'exceeded expectations,' he said.
A kamikaze drone is launched in an undisclosed area in Iran as the country launched more than 300 missiles and drones towards Israel
Israel's military displays an Iranian ballistic missile which they retrieved from the Dead Sea after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, at Julis military base, in southern Israel April 16
Drones or missiles vying for targets at undisclosed locations in northern Israel on April 14
This handout picture released by the Israeli Army shows the head of the military, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi (centre), attending early on April 14, 2024 a meeting at the Israeli Air Force Operations Center in Kirya in Tel Aviv
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13318277/Like-Gun-meets-Star-Wars-Israeli-reservist-pilot-describes-endless-explosions-sky-shot-Iranian-missiles-alongside-UK-fighter-jets-office-sending-emails-4pm.html
Explosions are seen in the skies of Jerusalem, during the attack from Iran on April 14
Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel
A battery of Israel's Iron Dome defense missile system, deployed in Ashkelon to intercept rockets
Amina al-Hassouni, 7, who was hit by shrapnel from an Iranian missile during Saturday night's 'unprecedented' attack on Israel
The little girl is currently fighting for her life in a hospital in southern Israel after suffering a major head wound
The remains of the Iranian rocket booster that critically injured the seven-year-old girl
Parts of a missile launched by Iran are found in Amman, Jordan, on April 14
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile defence system deployed near Jerusalem which helped intercept 99 per cent of the Iranian missiles launched
An Israeli F-35 fighter jet takes off from an undisclosed location in central Israel, 14 April 2024
An 'Adir' fighter jet at the Nevatim Airbase, in Israel
Israeli warships patrol off the coast of the Israeli coastal city of Netanya
Israeli warships patrol off the coast of Netanya, following Iran's strike
Netanya, on April 14, 2024
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