Source: US Central Command (X)
Operation Epic Fury, the coordinated US strikes on Iran organized by Donald Trump, led to the death of Tehran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump’s weekend military action in the Middle East included an array of missiles, stealth fighters and suicide drones targeting high-profile Iranian military projects, while also relying on advanced air defenses to protect US military bases across the region.Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel has also partnered with the United States, deploying its full military muscle in high-level coordinated attacks against Iran led by Khamenei, through Operation Lion’s Roar.
Iran kills 3 foreign-backed terrorists and arrests 8; He uncovers American-made weapons in a major operation
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth described the attack as “the deadliest, most complex, and most precise air operation in history.”
The United States on Saturday deployed an array of military assets against Iranian targets, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighter jets and, for the first time in combat, low-cost one-way attack drones modeled on Iranian designs.
US Central Command published images showing Tomahawk missiles and F/A-18 and F-35 fighter jets, as well as details of the strikes carried out as part of Operation Epic Fury.
According to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military developments, Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from US warships, while ground forces fired the missiles using the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
US forces have also deployed drones and other undisclosed weapons designed to strike targets from a distance, beyond the reach of enemy air defenses. The coordinated attacks began on Saturday morning and involved American military assets operating from land, sea and air.
Drones
The US military said it used suicide drones during the strikes, which appeared similar to the new low-cost LUCAS unmanned combat attack system made by Spektreworks, a company based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Images released by the Pentagon showed drones that appeared similar to the LUCAS system. The company did not respond to requests for comment.In a first for US Central Command, the military used unidirectional attack drones modeled after Iran’s Shahed drones, the Pentagon said. Kamikaze drones are relatively cheap and designed to be produced in large numbers by different manufacturers.Each LUCAS drone costs about $35,000. Drones have become an increasingly important part of modern warfare, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted the United States and other countries to adopt a strategy known as “soft bloc” — using large numbers of relatively low-cost weapons.
Tomahawk
The Tomahawk land-attack missile is a long-range cruise missile typically launched from ships or submarines to strike distant targets. The precision-guided missile can hit targets about 1,000 miles or 1,600 kilometers away, even in heavily defended airspace.The rocket is about 20 feet long, has a wingspan of 8.5 feet, and weighs about 3,330 pounds. It is produced by Raytheon, a unit of RTX. These missiles are not nuclear-armed and can be launched from land and sea.According to Pentagon budget data, the United States plans to purchase 57 Tomahawk missiles in 2026. The price of each missile is approximately $1.3 million. The Pentagon is also spending millions of dollars to upgrade the missile’s guidance systems and other features.The recent agreement between Raytheon and the Pentagon aims to increase production of Tomahawk missiles to about 1,000 units each year. The GPS-based missile has already been tested and used in real operations, including when US and British naval forces fired Tomahawk missiles at Houthi rebel targets in Yemen.
Fighter planes
US Central Command published photos and videos showing the use of FA 18 and F 35 fighter jets in strikes on Iran.The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter designed to avoid radar detection while carrying precision-guided weapons. The United States has deployed F-35 aircraft extensively throughout the Middle East.
The FA 18, manufactured by Boeing, is a multi-role fighter aircraft that can perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. It can carry a wide range of bombs and missiles.F 35s can also carry special missiles designed to locate and destroy enemy radar systems, effectively blinding air defense networks. These aircraft are also used by the Israeli Air Force.The United States recently strengthened its military presence in the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean, with Donald Trump indicating the possibility of launching another round of strikes. The deployment includes more than a dozen warships, including two aircraft carriers, along with hundreds of combat aircraft and support aircraft.
