Inside Operation Epic Fury: US hit 2,000 Iran targets in just 100 hours | Know more
US Central Command (CENTCOM) says that American forces have struck nearly 2,000 sites, including 17 ships, in Iran under ‘Operation Epic Fury’. CENTCOM reports significant troop mobilization, with 50,000 personnel and advanced capabilities.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) late on Tuesday (local time) shared an update on the military campaign dubbed ‘Operation Epic Fury’ in Iran. According to the latest statement, the United States has struck nearly 2,000 targets since launching attacks on Saturday, 28 February.
Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM chief, said in a video message that US forces destroyed 17 Iranian ships, including a submarine. “More than 50,000 troops, 200 fighters, two aircraft carriers, and bombers from the United States are participating in this operation, and more capability is on the way,” Cooper said in a video message posted on X.
He described the mobilization as the largest US military build-up in the Middle East in a generation, saying they have launched twice as many attacks on Iran as in the “shock and awe” bombings in the early stages of the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Cooper added, “We have severely degraded Iran’s air defences and destroyed hundreds of Iran’s ballistic missiles, launchers, and drones."
According to the CENTCOM chief, Iran launched more than 500 ballistic missiles and more than 2,000 drones in retaliation for the US and Israeli strikes. Criticizing Tehran's future capabilities due to the ongoing attacks on its missiles and launcher, he said that Iran is facing a “lingering launch capability."
Suggesting that the United States' combat capabilities are advanced and much superior to those of Iran, Cooper said, “We are seeing Iran’s ability to hit us, and our partners, is declining, while our combat power, on the other hand, is building. And my overall operational assessment is that we are ahead of our game plan."
The Iran war escalated after the US and Israel jointly launched missile strikes in Iran on 28 February. US President Donald Trump described this military operation as a “major combat operation” in a post on Truth Social, naming it ‘Operation Epic Fury.’
In the US-Israel strikes, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, following which Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched retaliatory strikes under ‘Operation True Promise 4.’
Some of the fighter jets deployed in the conflict, as listed by CENTCOM, are:
- B-1 bombers
- B-2 stealth bombers: Used to strike key nuclear and military infrastructure
- F-35 Lightning II & F-22 Raptor: Advanced stealth fighters
- F-15 fighter jets: extensively used; three were lost in an incident over Kuwait on 1 March
- F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Super Hornet and A-10 attacker jets: Used for strike and support roles
- EA-18G Growler: used for electronic attack and suppressing enemy air defences
- Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft: It intercepts and analyses electronic signals, provides intelligence for military operations.
- Drones and long-range strike systems being used by the US
- LUCAS drones: “Low-cost unmanned combat attack system” are being operated for combat use for the first time.
- MQ-9 Reaper drones: Play a crucial role in surveillance and precision strikes
- M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS): Ground-based rocket artillery
- Tomahawk Cruise Missiles: Launched from naval assets.
Missile defence systems being used by US
- Airborne early warning and control aircraft (AWACS): It is used for command, control and battle-space management.
- P-8 Poseidon: Used for maritime patrol and reconnaissance
- To intercept Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, patriot interceptor missile systems and THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) are being used.
Besides this, refuelling tanker aircraft and ships, counter-drone systems, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, C-17 Globemaster, C-130 Hercules and other special capabilities are maintaining the logistics flow. Additionally, the USS Gerald R Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups provide massive sea-based power.
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