REBECCA GRANT: Why the US strike on Iran couldn’t wait for one more year

“Our stocks of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to continue this campaign as long as we need to,” the Minister of War said Pete Hegseth This was stated at the headquarters of the US Central Command on Thursday.

From a tactical perspective, the scale of air strikes launched in Operation Epic Fury suggests that the United States almost waited too long. Get started Drive out Iranian ballistic missiles and drones required strikes on nearly 2,000 aiming points in just the first few days. That’s one ammo per aimpoint, and there may be thousands more left over.

It was now or never. Iran planned to stockpile missiles and drones and build a small number of nuclear weapons that would not be accessible to any military force. He added: “The Iranian negotiators told us directly, and without shame, that they controlled 460 kilograms by 60%, and they realize that this may lead to the injury of 11 people.” Nuclear bombsUS Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Tuesday.

The terrifying scope of Iran’s array of targets went unnoticed by most of the world until last Saturday.

Imagine how difficult this task will be in a few years – especially with Russia and China helping Iran restock oil.

“This operation had to be done because Iran, in a year or a year and a half, will cross the immunity line, which means they will have so many short-range missiles, so many drones that no one can do anything about because they can hold the whole world hostage,” Rubio said on Capitol Hill on Monday. He added: “Look at the damage they are causing now. This is a weak Iran… Imagine a year from now.”

As Iranian command and control deteriorated and air defenses declined, southern air entry routes into the country became wide open. “And now with Complete control of the sky“We will be using 500-pound, 1,000-pound, 2,000-pound GPS and laser-guided precision gravity bombs, of which we have an almost unlimited supply,” Hegseth said at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

Here come the big bombs that hit hundreds of targets. These targets include factories, weapons storage sites, and every IRGC facility that US forces can find. And all this is happening while the 2,000-mile air defense arc continues.

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The United States will never run out of bombs for Operation Epic Fury. Here are seven systems that are seeing heavy action:

Joint direct attack ammunition: Use JDAMs GPS satellite guidance To access the exact coordinates. The combat-proven JDAM family of munitions is actually a family of munitions. You can take a free-fall Mk 82 gravity bomb, a 1,000-pound Mk 83 bomb body, or a 2,000-pound Mk 84 bomb body, and attach the precision seeker and tail assembly with the guidance fins just before missions. Military munitions specialists – sometimes called AMMO troops – build the bombs before they are loaded onto the aircraft. In the Navy, for example, you can see the ordnance lifters on the deck of an aircraft carrier through their red shirts. In 2003, US fighter and bomber crews dropped 5,086 2,000-pound GBU-31 JDAM bombs in Operation Iraqi Freedom. So, yes, the planners knew how to store things. The new wing set doubles the range of the JDAM Extended Range model. JDAMs can attack “off-axis,” that is, behind or to the side of a fighter or bomber.

GBU-39 small diameter bomb: Combining precision with powerful explosives, the small-diameter bomb weighs 250 pounds and has an impressive range of up to 40 nautical miles when launched, as well as the ability to hit moving vehicles. The bomb body is advanced, containing a more powerful but compact explosive, which limits collateral damage. Aircrews can change coordinates during flight for this GPS-guided munition. F-22 Raptors can shoot down SDB missiles while flying at supersonic speeds.

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Patriot and Thad: US forces are leading the defense against missile and drone threats. The Patriots remain the gold standard for interceptions on the final stretch, and Hegseth noted that the stocks were in good shape. Thad — The ultimate high altitude area Defense – also widely used.

In this US Navy bulletin, USS Thomas Hudner fires a Tomahawk land-attack missile in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at sea. (US Navy/via Getty Images)

Air-to-air missiles: For drones, there are many options, starting with fighter jets armed with AMRAAMs (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles) and AIM-9 Sidewinders. Drones can be difficult to spot on radar, but recent experience in Ukraine means the United States has new identifying characteristics to work with. Once in range, it is not difficult to target the slow, hot thruster of Iranian Shahed drones. However, Hegseth noted that counter-drone systems have been pushed forward. You knew that American technology was the basis of Ukraine’s impressive air defenses, right?

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Vampire and coyote: Vampire Anti-drone systemThe company name says it all: non-mountable modular palletized ISR missile equipment. This means it can be mounted on almost any truck and fire different missiles. The Navy sent 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 the Coyote, a small drone that can be launched from a sonic buoy to destroy enemy drones or loiter to disable them with electronic jamming in its “non-kinetic” version. Both have been tested against drone swarms.

Certainly some Standard missile -3 Block 1A Block 2B variants were taxed heavily. Aegis destroyers of the US Navy SM-3s launch mid-course extra-atmospheric kill strike rounds against Iranian ballistic missiles.

On February 4, the Pentagon anticipated the need and announced an increase in production of Tomahawks to 1,000 per year, AMRAAM missiles 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 rated annual rate. For obvious reasons, complete munitions inventories are not considered public information.

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“for you Joint force “He’s steady, cool, calm and focused,” Kane said.

They have the necessary weapons to carry out their tasks.

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