“Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to continue this campaign for as long as necessary,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Thursday at U.S. Central Command headquarters.
From a tactical perspective, the scale of airstrikes during Operation Epic Fury indicates that the US almost waited too long. Launching the campaign to eliminate Iran’s ballistic missiles and drones required striking nearly 2,000 targets in just the first few days. That’s one round of ammunition per aiming point, and there could be thousands more to go.
It was now or never. Iran planned to stockpile missiles and drones and build a handful of nuclear weapons that no military force could reach. “Iranian negotiators told us directly, without any shame, that they had 460 kilograms of 60% in their hands and that they are aware that this could yield 11 nuclear bombs,” US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday.
The terrifying scale of Iran’s objectives went unnoticed by most of the world until last Saturday.
Imagine how difficult this job would have been in a few years – especially with Russia and China helping Iran replenish supplies.
“This operation had to happen because in about a year or a year and a half, Iran would cross the immunity line, which means they would have so many short-range missiles and so many drones that no one would be able to do anything about it because they could hold the whole world hostage,” Rubio said on Capitol Hill on Monday. ‘Look at the damage they’re doing now. And this is a weakened Iran… imagine a year from now,” he added.
As Iran’s command and control has deteriorated and its air defenses have flattened, southern air routes into the country are wide open. “And now, with full control of the airspace, we will use 500-pound, 1,000-pound and 2,000-pound GPS — and laser-guided precision gravity bombs, of which we have a virtually unlimited supply,” Hegseth said at the Pentagon on Wednesday.
Here come the big bombs that have to attack hundreds of targets. These targets include factories, weapons warehouses, and any IRGC facility that U.S. forces can find. And it’s all happening while a 2,000-mile air defense arc continues.
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The US is out of bombs for Operation Epic Fury. Here are seven systems undergoing heavy action:
Joint direct attack munitions: JDAMs use GPS satellite guidance to achieve precise coordinates. The battle-proven JDAM ammunition family is essentially a kit. You take a 500-pound Mk 82 free-fall gravity bomb, a 1,000-pound Mk 83 bomb body, or a 2,000-pound Mk 84 bomb body, then attach a precision seeker and a tail set with control fins just before missions. Military munitions specialists – known as AMMO troops – build the bombs before loading them onto the aircraft. In the Navy, for example, you can recognize ammunition loaders on the deck of an aircraft carrier by their red sweaters. In 2003, U.S. fighters and bombers dropped 5,086 of the 2,000-pound GBU-31 JDAMs during Operation Iraqi Freedom. So yes, planners knew they had to stock up. A new wing kit doubled the range for the JDAM Extended Range variant. JDAMs can attack ‘off-axis’, that is, behind or next to the fighter or bomber.
GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb: Combining precision with powerful explosives, the Small Diameter Bomb weighs 250 pounds and has a remarkable range of 40 nautical miles when launched, along with the ability to hit moving vehicles. The bomb body is advanced, with a more powerful but compact explosive that limits collateral damage. Aircrews can change coordinates for these GPS-guided munitions during flight. F-22 Raptors can drop SDBs while flying supersonic.
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Patriot and THAAD: US troops lead the defense against missile and drone threats. Patriot remains the gold standard for terminal stage intercepts, and Hegseth noted that its inventories were in good shape. THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) is also widely used.
In this U.S. Navy flyer, the USS Thomas Hudner fires a Tomahawk land-attack missile in support of Operation Epic Fury at sea on March 1, 2026. (US Navy/via Getty Images)
Air-to-air missiles: For drones, there are many options, starting with fighter planes armed with AMRAAMs (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles) and AIM-9 Sidewinders. Drones can be difficult to detect on radar, but recent experiences in Ukraine mean the US has new identifying features to work with. Once in range, it is not difficult to target the slow, hot, whirring pusher engine of Iran’s Shahed drones. However, Hegseth noted that counter-UAS systems have been pushed forward. You knew that American technology was the basis of Ukraine’s excellent air defense, right?
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VAMPIRE and Coyote: The name of the VAMPIRE counter-drone system says it all: vehicle-independent modular palletized ISR missile equipment. That means it can ride on just about any truck and fire a variety of missiles. The Navy rushed it to Ukraine in 2023 and since then “VAMPIRE users have successfully shot down hundreds of enemy drones,” according to manufacturer L3Harris. Other examples include Coyote, a small drone that can launch from a sonobuoy to destroy enemy drones or loiter to disable them with electronic jamming in its “non-kinetic” variant. Both have been tested against drone swarms.
Certainly, some Standard Missile-3 Block 1A and Block 2B variants are heavily stressed. U.S. Navy Aegis destroyers launch SM-3s for exo-atmospheric, midcourse hit-to-kill shots at Iranian ballistic missiles.
On February 4, the Pentagon anticipated the need and announced that production of Tomahawks would be increased to 1,000 per year, AMRAAMs to at least 1,900 and SM-6 missiles to more than 500 per year, with SM-3 production accelerating to two to four times the classified annual number. For obvious reasons, complete ammunition inventories are not public information.
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“Your collective strength is steadfast, icy, calm and focused,” Caine said.
And they have the weapons to carry out their missions.
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