Photos taken by the Associated Press on 14/3 show two US embassy staff in Iraq inspecting damage after the facility was attacked early that morning. Beside them lay a charred radar station and its shattered protective dome.
"An unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) struck and destroyed a giraffe 1X surveillance radar deployed within the US embassy compound in Baghdad", Archer83Able, an open-source intelligence analyst on social media, stated.
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A giraffe 1X radar charred after the US embassy in Iraq was attacked on 14/3. *AP* |
The Associated Press previously cited two unnamed Iraqi security officials who stated that "a missile hit a helicopter pad" within the US embassy compound in Baghdad. Images from the scene showed a fire and a column of black smoke rising from the area after the incident.
An Iraqi security source told Al Jazeera that the attack destroyed part of the air defense system at the US embassy, but did not provide details.
No party has claimed responsibility for the incident. US officials have not commented on the information.
The giraffe 1X is a lightweight, multi-functional active electronically scanned array (aesa) radar developed by the Swedish corporation Saab, specializing in providing tactical-level air and ground surveillance data. This system is highly mobile, deploys quickly, and suits small units.
The primary mission of the giraffe 1X is detecting and classifying small, slow, low-flying objects, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and monitoring ground activities. Data from the giraffe 1X is then transmitted to short-range air defense systems for target interception.
The giraffe 1X has an operational range of 75-100 km, depending on the variant.
Saab announced in 10/2025 that it had received an order worth approximately 46 million USD from the US army for giraffe 1X radars, with deliveries expected to begin early this year. Each giraffe 1X system was valued at approximately 2,3 million USD in 2023.
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A giraffe 1X radar mounted on a pickup truck in a photo posted in 6/2024. *Saab* |
The Middle East has been embroiled in conflict since the US and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on 28/2. Iran retaliated by launching missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at Israeli territory, US bases in the Middle East, and critical energy infrastructure in several Gulf countries using missiles and suicide unmanned aerial vehicles.
The US embassy in Iraq, one of Washington's largest diplomatic facilities globally, has been repeatedly targeted by Iran-backed militia groups.
Pham Giang (According to AP, Defense Post, Al Jazeera)
