B-2 bombers, stealth fighter jets, recon aircraft, and other weapons were used to strike more than 1,000 targets in the first day of the U.S. war on Iran, according to fact sheets and other statements by U.S. military units.
On Sunday, U.S. Central Command released a list of U.S. weapons and platforms used in the first 24 hours of Operation Epic Fury, which began at 1:15 a.m. Eastern time on Feb. 28. Initial targets included aerospace forces and joint headquarters facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Iranian navy ships and submarines, anti-ship and ballistic missile sites, command and control centers, military communications capabilities, and air defense systems, according to a fact sheet distributed by CENTCOM.
An Iranian Jamaran-class corvette was hit by U.S. forces and “is currently sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Oman at a Chah Bahar pier,” CENTCOM posted at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
U.S. combat jets used in the war’s first day included F-16, F/A-18, F-16, F-22, and F-35 fighter jets; and the A-10 Warthog, a close-air-support jet that was used frequently in the Global War on Terror conflicts that followed the 9/11 attacks.
Some of the planes took off from the USS Abraham Lincoln. CENTCOM denied Iranian claims on Sunday that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was hit by ballistic missiles.
Electronic warfare, warning, and reconnaissance aircraft included the EA-18G, P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, unspecified RC-135s, and MQ-9 Reapers. Mobility aircraft included tankers and C-17 and C-130 airlifters.
Munitions and defenses used against Iranian attacks included Patriot Interceptors, THAAD anti-ballistic missile systems, and M-142 high mobility artillery rockets.
The operation marked the combat debut of the Pentagon’s new LUCAS one-way attack drones.
CENTCOM said it also used “special capabilities,” which they declined to include on the list.
U.S. Space Command did not respond when asked which Space Force assets were used in the operation.
Iranian counterattacks were swift. At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Saturday, the Iranian ambassador said the response was targeted solely at U.S. military assets.
On Sunday, CENTCOM denied that. In a post on X, command officials said Iran had attacked international airports in Dubai, UAE; Kuwait; Abu Dhabi; and Iraq. The post also said thatIran had attacked hotels in Dubai and Bahrain and residential areas in Israel and Qatar.
U.S. casualties
As of Sunday morning, three U.S. service members had been killed and five seriously wounded during the operation, CENTCOM said. Addition. Those troops had not been publicly identified as of Sunday afternoon. Several others were hit by shrapnel and were concussed.
Teetotaling order
The guardians of the Space Force’s 5th Missile Warning Squadron at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, were ordered to not consume alcohol in order to “maintain operational readiness” starting Saturday morning, a memo reviewed by Defense One read.
The 5th Missile Warning Squadron is part of Delta 4, which uses Overhead Persistent Infrared satellites and ground-based radars to track missile threats across the globe, according to a service fact sheet.
A Space Force spokesperson confirmed the memo was authentic and said it was issued “in response to Operation Epic Fury and associated conflict in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.”
CENTCOM fact sheet:
