A US fighter jet pilot who was shot down over Iran in April during the height of Operation Epic Fury claims he saw a formation of Iranian drones flying in a shape resembling a jellyfish, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN on Tuesday.
The F-15 pilot told intelligence officials that he observed the "multiple Iranian drones, moving as one" during a debriefing following their rescue by US Special Forces.
“Multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs... real alien s***,” one of the sources familiar with the pilot's account told CNN.
Another source stated that the pilot described it as a "minefield of drones."
CNN noted that it is unclear if the second member of the jet's crew saw the drones.
What occured during the crash in April?
The cause of the F-15's downing is still under investigation over two months after the incident. However, initial reports assess that the drone formation may have enabled Iran to shoot down the jet, two sources told CNN.
An F-15 holds a two-person crew, usually consisting of a pilot and a navigator, or weapons system officer. The downing of the jet in April was the first time that Iran had downed a US fighter jet.
The pilot was rescued several hours later after ejecting from the aircraft, while the weapons system officer hid in the mountains to evade Iranian capture for over a day before being rescued.
Questions also arise within the US Intelligence community as to how to interpret what the pilot saw.
One such concern is that the pilot was concussed during the crash, CNN noted.
Further, it was the second time that he had been shot out of the sky during Operation Epic Fury as he was part of the flight crew, which was downed in a friendly fire incident by the Kuwaiti military, two sources told CNN.
The report cited a source who said one official asked the pilot, "Are you sure you saw what you are saying you saw?"
US Intelligence concerned Iranian drone formation could signal greater capabilities, threats
Intelligence officials are concerned because several drones moving in unison within a formation would represent an alarming advance in Iranian drone capabilities, CNN noted.
One drone warfare expert told CNN that the US military would "spend huge, huge dollars, like a lot of blood and treasure, protecting ourselves from something that can coordinate like that."
"If it can coordinate itself into a recognizable shape and maintain that shape, and if it’s got explosives on board, and if it is holding resources in reserve to attack whatever the first volley didn’t destroy – that’s a very capable approach," they added.