Before the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, Washington assembled its largest force and some of its most powerful weapons in the Middle East in decades.
Donald Trump had warned that the US was “ready to act” – and Saturday’s attacks, which killed Iran’s supreme leader, gave that force a destructive purpose.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) released on Sunday a list of American weapons that have been used so far in the war with Iran.
Here is an overview of the resources used so far in what the Pentagon calls “Operation Epic Fury”:
B-2 stealth bombers: Batwing bombers, which cost more than a billion dollars each, are the US Air Force’s most powerful platform. Equipped with four jet engines, the B-2 can carry conventional or nuclear weapons, with intercontinental range and aerial refueling.
Piloted by a crew of two, the B-2s usually fly from their home base at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, as they did last year when they attacked Iranian nuclear complexes in a 34-hour round-trip mission.
That mission, last June, was carried out by seven of the fleet’s 19 B-2s, with the others being used for a simulated trip to Hawaii. The bombers used the largest of the US conventional bombs – the massive 30,000-pound penetrating munition – to attack three Iranian nuclear facilities.
This time, they used 2,000-pound bombs to target Iranian ballistic missile facilities, CENTCOM said.
Single-use LUCAS drones: Operation Epic Fury marks the first use of drones in combat by the US, according to CENTCOM.
The drone unit – Task Force Scorpion Strike (TFSS) – was activated in the Middle East at the end of last year, according to a statement from CENTCOM.
“The TFSS is designed to quickly provide effective, low-cost drone capabilities to warfighters,” the statement said.
The Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) is essentially a copy of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones, which Russia has used in large numbers in its war against Ukraine.
“These low-cost drones, inspired by Iran’s Shahed drones, are now delivering US-made retaliation,” CENTCOM said in a social media post.
US warships: CENTCOM claims that US aircraft carriers and guided-missile destroyers saw action in the war.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on February 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy/Getty Images)
Two American aircraft carriers, the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R. Ford, were in the Middle East when the attacks on Iran began. The Lincoln was in the Arabian Sea and the Ford was in the Mediterranean, off Israel.
CENTCOM released a video of F/A-18 and F-35 fighters taking off and landing at Lincoln. Ford does not carry the F-35.
Iran claimed to have hit the Lincoln with ballistic missiles, something CENTCOM called a “LIE” in a social media post.
The US video also shows guided missile destroyers firing Tomahawk missiles. US Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, several of which are in the region, can carry up to 96 Tomahawk missiles.
Destroyers, with their Aegis ballistic missile defense systems, can also be used to protect the aircraft carriers they often sail on and shore resources.
The Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner fires a Tomahawk land attack missile in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 1, 2026. (U.S. Navy/Getty Images)
Patriot and THAAD missile defense systems: Patriot and THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) batteries are used to combat Iranian drones and ballistic missiles.
The number of Patriot and THAAD interceptors fired so far is unknown.
But Iran has sent thousands of drones and missiles against targets across the Middle East, and analysts have expressed concern that stocks of interceptors, depleted by last year’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran and by units supplied to Ukraine to defend against Russian attacks, could run low if Iran continues its retaliatory strikes for an extended period.
Fighters: CENTCOM claims that several fighters saw action in the early days of the war. Among them are the F-16s, flown by the Air Force, and the F/A-18s, flown by the Navy and Marine Corps.
The Air Force’s F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, flown by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, were also involved, CENTCOM said, without revealing specific missions. The command released videos showing twin-engine F/A-18s and single-engine F-35s operating from an aircraft carrier.
The Air Force’s twin-engine A-10 attack fighters were also deployed, CENTCOM said.
EA-18G electronic attack aircraft: Based on the F/A-18 fighter, the EA-18G Growler carries jamming pods, communications countermeasures and radars to identify and suppress enemy electronic threats. Twin-engine fighters can also be armed with missiles that target electronic transmissions such as radars and communications centers.
A U.S. Navy sailor prepares an E-2D Hawkeye aircraft to take off from the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, on February 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy/Getty Images)
Aircraft Early Warning and Control (AWACS): The US uses two types of AWACS, the Air Force’s E-3 Sentry and the Navy’s E-2 Hawkeye.
The Air Force’s AWACS are four-engine aircraft based on the Boeing 707. The planes carry a large rotating circular radar on mounts more than three meters above the fuselage. With a range of around 400 km, AWACS can identify and track enemy aircraft and ships and monitor detailed battlefield information on US forces. Information is shared with command centers and ships at sea.
The Navy’s Hawkeye, a twin-engine turboprop, provides similar information while operating from U.S. aircraft carriers.
Air communications relay aircraft: CENTCOM did not provide details, but Air Force EA-11 BACN (battlefield aerial communications node) aircraft were seen in the Middle East in the weeks leading up to the attacks.
Manufacturer Bombardier says the EA-11, based on a twin-engine business jet, is often called “Wi-Fi in the sky” and used “to connect voice and tactical data between air and ground forces, overcoming obstacles such as mountains, rough terrain or distance.”
P-8A maritime patrol aircraft: Based on a commercial Boeing 737 airframe, the Navy’s twin-engine jets, called Poseidon, are used for anti-submarine warfare, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft: Carrying a crew of more than 30 people, including electronic warfare officers, intelligence operators and even flight maintenance technicians, the RC-135 has been a constant in US military operations since the Vietnam War.
The four-engine planes, based on a Boeing 707, provide near real-time data collection and analysis, according to an Air Force fact sheet.
MQ-9 Reapers: The Air Force describes the MQ-9 drones, remotely piloted and powered by a single turboprop engine, as attack aircraft intended primarily to strike “high-value, fleeting, and time-sensitive targets.” They carry Hellfire missiles and guided bombs that can be used against enemy armor or personnel and fly over the battlefield for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
An M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher during training exercises at the Lightning Academy at Schofield Barracks, Honolulu, Hawaii, on November 9, 2025. (Christopher Lee/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
M-142 HIMARS: The Army’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems are mounted on a three-axle truck and provide what manufacturer Lockheed Martin says is a “fire and run” capability, meaning they can fire and quickly move to a new position before facing a counterattack.
HIMARS can carry rockets with a range of around 500 kilometers, depending on the mission required. CENTCOM released video of HIMARS firing individual munitions from the start of the war with Iran.
Refueling Features: include both tankers and supply ships at sea.
The US Air Force operates two types of tanker: the four-engine KC-135, based on the Boeing 707 airframe, and the twin-engine KC-46, based on the Boeing 767. In-flight refueling would be essential for the B-2 bombers that make the long flight from the continental US to the Middle East. But aircraft in the region can be refueled mid-flight to remain closer to the battlefield for longer.
U.S. warships refuel at sea from supply ships operated primarily by civilian crews. Refueling takes place while ships are moving, with hoses dropped over the water from supply ships to warships, a bit like a mobile gas station in the middle of the ocean.
cargo aircraft: C-17 Globemaster planes and C-130 Hercules turboprops transported much of the ammunition and many of the troops used in the attack on Iran to the Middle East.
