Operation Epic Fury, the coordinated American strikes on Iran orchestrated by Donald Trump, killed Tehran’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump’s weekend navy motion within the Center East concerned a mixture of missiles, stealth fighters and suicide drones focusing on Iran’s high-profile navy initiatives, whereas additionally counting on superior air defences to guard US navy bases throughout the area.Benjamin Netanyahu-led Israel additionally partnered with the US, deploying its full navy muscle within the high-profile coordinated assaults towards Khamenei-led Iran, with its Operation Lion’s Roar.
The US secretary of struggle Pete Hegseth described the assault as “essentially the most deadly, most complicated, and most-precision aerial operation in historical past.”The USA on Saturday deployed a spread of navy property towards Iranian targets, together with Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighter jets and, for the primary time in fight, low-cost one-way assault drones modelled after Iranian designs.US Central Command launched pictures exhibiting Tomahawk missiles, F/A-18 and F-35 fighter jets, together with particulars of the strikes carried out beneath Operation Epic Fury.In line with a US official who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate navy developments, Tomahawk cruise missiles have been launched from American warships, whereas floor forces fired rockets utilizing the Excessive Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).American forces additionally deployed drones and different undisclosed standoff weapons designed to strike targets from lengthy vary, past the attain of enemy air defences. The coordinated assaults started Saturday morning and concerned US navy property working from land, sea and air.
Drones
The US navy mentioned it used suicide drones throughout the strikes, which appeared much like the brand new LUCAS Low Value Unmanned Fight Assault System made by Spektreworks, an organization based mostly in Phoenix Arizona. Images launched by the Pentagon confirmed drones that seemed an identical to the LUCAS system. The corporate didn’t reply to requests for remark.In a primary for the US Central Command, the navy used a technique assault drones modeled after Iran’s Shahed drones, the Pentagon mentioned. These kamikaze drones are comparatively low-cost and are designed to be produced in giant numbers by totally different producers.Every LUCAS drone prices round 35000 {dollars}. Drones have turn into an more and more necessary a part of trendy warfare, particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed the US and different nations to undertake a technique generally known as “reasonably priced mass” — utilizing giant numbers of comparatively low price weapons.
Tomahawk
The Tomahawk Land Assault Missile is an extended vary cruise missile often launched from ships or submarines to hit targets distant. The precision guided missile can strike targets from about 1000 miles or 1600 kilometers away, even in closely defended airspace.The missile is about 20 toes lengthy with a wingspan of 8.5 toes and weighs round 3330 kilos. It’s produced by Raytheon, a unit of RTX. These missiles usually are not nuclear armed and will be launched from each land and sea.In line with Pentagon price range knowledge, the US plans to purchase 57 Tomahawk missiles in 2026. Every missile prices about 1.3 million {dollars}. The Pentagon can also be spending thousands and thousands of {dollars} to improve the missile’s steerage programs and different options.A current settlement between Raytheon and the Pentagon goals to extend Tomahawk missile manufacturing to about 1000 items yearly. The missile has already been examined with GPS steerage and utilized in actual operations, together with when the US and UK navies fired Tomahawk missiles at Houthi insurgent targets in Yemen.
Fighter jets
US Central Command launched photographs and movies exhibiting F A 18 and F 35 fighter jets getting used within the strikes on Iran.The F 35 is a fifth era stealth fighter designed to keep away from radar detection whereas carrying precision guided weapons. The US has deployed F 35 jets extensively throughout the Center East.The F A 18, made by Boeing, is a multi function fighter plane that may perform each air to air and air to floor missions. It may carry a variety of bombs and missiles.F 35 jets may carry particular missiles designed to find and destroy enemy radar programs, successfully blinding air defence networks. These jets are additionally utilized by the Israeli Air Drive.The US has lately elevated its navy presence within the Center East and the jap Mediterranean as Donald Trump indicated the potential of one other spherical of strikes. The deployment consists of greater than a dozen warships, amongst them two plane carriers, together with a whole lot of fighter jets and assist plane.
