All three US Air Force bomber types have seen action against Iran, with a senior US commander saying that Iran’s ability to strike back is being diminished.
The US and Israeli militaries have struck over 2,000 Iranian targets with 2,000 munitions in the first 100 hours of air war against Iran, including air defences, ballistic missile launchers, and drones says Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), in a social media post.
He outlines a formidable US combat fleet arrayed for the Epic Fury mission, comprising over 200 fighters, two aircraft carriers, as well as bombers, with more capabilities coming.
“These forces bring a massive amount of firepower, representing the largest build up by the US in the Middle East in a generation,” says Cooper.
He says the opening of the joint US/Israeli attack was “nearly double the scale” of US and allied strikes against Iraq in 2003.
Boeing B-1 and Northrop Grumman B-2 bombers have conducted “uncontested surgical strikes” against missile facilities deep in Iran. Cooper confirms that B-52s have also struck command and control posts in Iran, meaning all three US bomber types have seen action in the conflict.
Another focus is the Iranian navy, with 17 ships destroyed, including Tehran’s only operational submarine. This number presumably includes the Shahid Bagheri, a container ship that Tehran had converted into a drone carrier. On 2 March CENTCOM posted that the vessel had been hit.
“We will continue to conduct dynamic targeting operations or hunting Iran’s last remaining mobile ballistic missile launchers and eliminate what I would characterize their lingering launch capability,” says Cooper.
He notes that Iran has launched over 500 ballistic missiles and 2,000 drones against neighboring countries, stating that Tehran is mainly targeting civilians. This retaliatory capability, however, is declining.
Cooper adds more contours to the US military’s first use of the Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS), which is based on Iran’s Shahed-136. In action against Iran “countless” LUCAS drones have been launched, “achieving massive effects.”
Adds Cooper: “US air forces are doing what they do best, executing a high volume of air strikes right into Iran. Operationally, the two most powerful air forces in the world, the US and Israel, are dominating the skies of the world’s largest state sponsor of terror.”
