Transcription
The war in Iran began in explosive fashion, with U.S. and Israeli forces launching massive missile salvos, bombing runs, and decapitation strikes, obliterating Iranian infrastructure and eliminating its regime, one piece at a time. The country’s Supreme Leader was quickly killed and its air defenses crippled.
But America didn’t stop there. Wave after wave of additional airstrikes have followed as the war has progressed, allowing the U.S. to enjoy superiority in the air and massive success on the ground, while leaving the remnants of the regime scrambling for cover and running out of places to hide. It’s a remarkably effective strategy, and one that could soon see America win this war and achieve all of its objectives, once and for all.
In fact, it’s already achieved arguably the most important objective of the lot: aerial superiority. In any war, taking control of the skies is absolutely vital. It’s the first and perhaps most valuable step towards victory, and there’s nearly a century of evidence to back that up. Why? Because with air superiority, everything else becomes much, much easier. By controlling the skies, your entire forces - whether they’re on land, in the air, or at sea - can operate more easily, freely, and safely. Troops and tanks can roll across the ground with far less risk of being attacked from above, while frigates, destroyers, and warships can position themselves closer to enemy positions, firing missiles or conducting other offensive operations without the ever-present fear of enemy bombers appearing on the horizon. Thanks to that, entire armies are able to move faster, strike harder, and strengthen their advantage over their opponents.
For the enemy, meanwhile, every aspect of their military operations becomes dramatically more challenging. Their forces have to constantly keep an eye on the skies, never knowing where their enemy’s jets and bombers will appear next. Tanks and other high-value assets have to be hidden away or repositioned to more defensive locations, rather than being deployed on the front lines of the fight, and units have to divide, disperse, and operate with far greater levels of care and caution, moving more slowly, or traveling at night, under cover of darkness, just to improve their odds of staying alive to fight another day.
America hasn’t had to deploy boots on the ground in Iran, but its airstrikes have made it much easier for its aircraft to operate safely over the enemy’s territory, carrying out additional, targeted strikes on Iranian command centers, infrastructure, and high-value targets. On March 13, for example, U.S. forces carried out an extensive bombing raid on Kharg Island - one of the most important oil export hubs in the region. America’s Air Force spared the island’s oil infrastructure, but didn’t show Iran’s military sites the same sort of mercy, targeting more than 90 sites in total, destroying numerous naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites, with U.S. President Donald Trump sharing details of the raid online: “The United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island.”
U.S. and Israeli forces have also exploited their aerial advantage to destroy literally hundreds of Iran’s missile launch platforms, wiping out more than 60% of the country’s rocket launchers in the first three weeks of the war alone. To be more precise, according to data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), it’s estimated that Iran lost around 260 to 290 of its 410 to 440 launchers in those opening bombing raids and missile strikes. Thanks to that, its offensive capacities today are a fraction of what they once were, which is why the number of reports of Iranian missile strikes on surrounding Gulf States has massively decreased as the way has progressed. For example, on February 28 - the first day of America’s Operation Epic Fury - Iran had enough firepower to launch over 180 ballistic missiles at other countries around it. By March 8, it was only about to launch a mere nine missiles in total.
U.S. forces have also reportedly taken out dozens more important Iranian assets, with Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, revealing in a video statement: “Through a combination of air, land, and maritime capabilities, we have successfully destroyed over 100 Iranian naval vessels, and we aren’t done.” Bit by bit, the U.S. has eviscerated Iran’s ability to defend itself, massively undermining the regime’s authority in the process. The longer this goes on, the worse the situation will become for those who remain. The U.S. and Israel, meanwhile, are only set to get stronger and more dominant. That’s the beauty of aerial superiority - it’s the gift that keeps on giving. The longer you maintain it, the more value you get from it, not only in terms of safer and swifter aerial, naval, and ground operations, but also in other areas, like intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, for example.
When you have control of the skies and you have access to some of the high-end drones, world-leading reconnaissance aircraft, and state-of-the-art surveillance systems that the U.S. has, you can collect vast amounts of data about your enemy on a near-constant basis. Every day, every hour, every minute, America’s drones and surveillance aircraft hover in Iranian airspace, scanning the surroundings and feeding information to surrounding bases and command centers. Reports show that the U.S. has deployed several E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft to the Middle East, for example. At least five of these aircraft have been spotted in the region, each one equipped with some of the most powerful radar systems in the world, allowing them to detect enemy drones, cruise missiles, and aircraft from hundreds of miles away. This, too, makes it incredibly difficult for Iran - especially with its drastically diminished stocks of launchers and munitions - to launch any kind of counterattack against its opponents. Thanks to that, America and its allies’ bases and assets around the region are now much safer than they were during the opening stages of the war. They also have the constant stream of data and intelligence they need to plan their next steps more efficiently.
Iran, meanwhile, has far fewer options at its disposal. Its regime suffered a near-fatal blow on day one of the operation, when the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed, plunging the regime into crisis. While U.S. and Israeli forces were laser-focused on taking out additional targets and extending their advantage, Iran’s leaders were spiraling, grieving the loss of their Ayatollah and wondering who would replace him. Eventually, they settled on his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who, himself, was lucky to be alive after narrowly surviving an airstrike that killed his wife, son, and several other Iranian officials. However, rather than rising up and boldly following in his father’s footsteps to resurrect the regime, the new Supreme Leader has barely even been seen since his appointment. Rumors have since spread that he may have been quite seriously injured in that initial airstrike, with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, labeling Khamenei a “not-so-supreme leader” in a statement to the media: “We know the new so-called not-so-supreme leader is wounded and likely disfigured. He put out a statement yesterday. A weak one, actually, but there was no voice and there was no video. It was a written statement. Iran has plenty of cameras and plenty of voice recorders. Why a written statement? I think you know why. His father - dead. He's scared, he's injured, he's on the run and he lacks legitimacy.”
This leads us to yet another all-important advantage of aerial superiority: the psychological impact. When enemy planes rule your skies, when fighter jets have full freedom to fly where they want and bombers have clear, unobstructed pathways to easily eliminate any assets and infrastructure you have left, it’s only natural that morale begins to suffer. And that’s what’s happening in Iran. The regime’s rhetoric may still be bold and bombastic, with officials continuing to make claims that they’ll punish America and its allies, but the facts of the matter are clear to see: Iran is, effectively, at the mercy of the U.S. and Israel. Its air defense network has been obliterated, its missile and drone stocks have diminished, and its leadership is struggling to maintain any level of legitimacy. Indeed, rather than asserting control, many big-name Iranian officials instead appear to be running scared, with Hegseth summing up the situation as follows: “Iran's leadership is in no better shape, desperate and hiding, they've gone underground, cowering. That's what rats do.”
This is what happens when a country comes face to face with the greatest aerial force ever assembled, and it’s only going to get worse for Iran from here on out. Before we dig deeper into that, there’s more where this came from — so if you’re getting value from The Military Show, don’t forget to subscribe.
For military experts and analysts, the success of American airstrikes in Iran has come as no surprise whatsoever. Because even though Iran may have been preparing for this war for decades, layering its defenses and investing in everything from Shahed drones to new and improved ballistic missile systems, its military pales in comparison to that of the United States. And nothing in the world can possibly counteract the unmatched power of the U.S. Air Force, and especially its unparalleled bomber fleet, made up of three of the finest military aircraft ever invented: the B-52 Stratofortress, the B-1B Lancer, and the B-2 Spirit. Each of these bombers brings its own unique advantages to the table, and together, they provide the perfect mixture of stealth, range, firepower, and flexibility. Here’s a closer look at each one, in turn, beginning with the B-52.
Often regarded as the workhorse of the U.S. bomber fleet, the B-52 Stratofortress is also the oldest of the trio, having been introduced back in the 1950s. Its age means it’s not the fastest or most agile member of the fleet; it doesn’t boast the same supersonic speeds of the B-1, for example, nor does it have the state of the art stealth technology as the B-2. But it’s still one of the best bombers in existence, with a design that has been fine-tuned over the years to remain relevant throughout the Cold War and right up to the modern day. It’s also capable of packing more of a punch than any other U.S. bomber, since it can carry one of the largest payloads of them all, with a maximum capacity of 70,000 pounds (32,000 kilograms). Capable of launching conventional bombs, precision-guided munitions, and even nuclear-capable cruise missiles, the Stratofortress is famed for its extraordinary endurance and ability to serve as a stand-off weapons platform - meaning it doesn’t need to fly too far into enemy airspace to deal damage.
Then, there’s the B-1B Lancer. The swiftest of the three, the Lancer was originally designed for nuclear missions but has since focused purely on conventional warfare. Able to fly at peak speeds exceeding 900 mph (over Mach 1.2), this bomber gets in, deals massive damage, and leaves the area before the enemy even knows what hit it. It’s the ideal option for dealing with dynamic combat environments and carrying out rapid-response strike missions, and it has proven exceptionally effective in Iran so far, just as it has in other locations and conflicts throughout history. Arguably the most astonishing thing about this bomber is that it almost never existed. In the late 1970s, then-President Jimmy Carter actually canceled the original B-1 project, preferring to focus funding on the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles instead. When Carter lost his re-election bid in 1980, his successor, Ronald Reagan, revived the B-1 program, with the Lancer entering service later that same decade.
The third and final member of the trio is the B-2 Spirit. Famous for its distinctive shape and almost otherworldly stealth capabilities, this flying wing bomber is near-impossible for enemies to detect, until it’s too late. It was designed from the ground up to be able to evade even the most advanced enemy radar systems, allowing it to penetrate even the most heavily defended airspace with relative ease and minimal risk. Like the Stratofortress, the B-2 is also capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear weapons, and it does so with peerless precision, making it the perfect choice for those initial targeted attacks on enemy air defenses or fortifications.
Together, these three bombers give the U.S. the ability to conduct any type of strike mission, anywhere in the world, including all across Iran. Every target is within reach, from its bases and airfields to its underground bunkers and nuclear facilities. What’s more, the fleet is soon set to get a major upgrade in the form of a brand-new bomber: the B-21 Raider. The U.S. Air Force’s next-generation bomber, the B-21, is set to first complement the existing fleet, but eventually replace both the B-1 and B-2 by 2040. It’s designed to be even more difficult to detect than the B-2 Spirit, with even more advanced stealth technologies to evade enemy radars and air defense systems. It can also cover enormous distances, firing on targets across the globe with only minimal support needed. Capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons, while also boasting open systems architecture that can be upgraded with ease, this next-level bomber will elevate America’s arsenal to whole new heights, and it could even see action in Iran, if recent reports are anything to go by.
In mid-March, a B-21 was photographed carrying out an aerial refueling for the first time, demonstrating the rapid progress that the Air Force appears to be making in testing and finalizing this bomber before it’s expected to officially enter service in 2027. By then, it’s extremely likely that the Iran war will be completely over and done with, but should the U.S. feel the need for a follow-up invasion or additional assaults, it will be able to count on the immense firepower and staggering stealth capabilities of the Raider to do so.
In the meantime, the U.S. is coping perfectly well with its existing fleet. And while the bombers may take the headlines and deliver those all-important crushing blows to Iran’s air defenses, radars, and bases, plenty of other aircraft also deserve credit for the invaluable roles they have played in the assault so far. The U.S.’ world-leading fighter jets, like F-35s, for example, have been instrumental in cutting through Iran’s air defenses, relying on their supersonic flight speeds and unrivaled aerial agility to penetrate Iranian airspace, wipe out the country’s air defenses, annihilate launch platforms, and create those safe, silent corridors through which the bombers can pass. The Air Force has also been using aerial refueling tankers, like the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, to ensure that its other aircraft can continue to fuel up and fly as the operation continues. Strategically positioned in safe pockets of airspace and guarded by fighters, these vast tankers are what make it possible for the U.S. to continue piling pressure on Iran, carrying out one airstrike after another, never giving its enemy time to rest, regroup, or reorganize.
Unfortunately, war is unpredictable, and even the best-prepared plans sometimes go awry. The U.S. did lose one of its KC-135s on March 12 in what is believed to have been an accidental incident. According to reports, two tankers collided in friendly airspace over Western Iraq, with one managing to make an emergency landing and the other crashing, killing all six crew members on board. This was a tragic incident, but on the whole, America’s superior military efficiency has been clear to see throughout the war so far. Its losses have been kept to an absolute minimum, while Iran has been quite simply torn apart.
As Hegseth notes, this was never going to be a “fair fight.” Iran had zero hope of competing with the combined might of the U.S. and Israeli aerial forces, which have so far struck more than 15,000 targets. Having achieved aerial superiority so swiftly, America’s bombers and fighters can, in Hegseth’s words, “pick targets as they choose.” Iran, meanwhile, is slipping further and further into an increasingly catastrophic collapse: “Iran has no air defenses. Iran has no air force. Iran has no Navy. Their missiles, their missile launchers and drones being destroyed or shot out of the sky. Their missile volume is down 90%. Their one-way attack drones yesterday, down 95%... We’re on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before.”
Facing an increasingly grim future, unassailable odds, and enemies that it simply does not have the strength to overcome, Iran’s regime is on a one-way road to absolute destruction. Trapped in an increasingly deep, dark hole, with no way out, its leadership is fractured beyond repair. Those that remain of the ruling class appear increasingly weak, isolated, and frightened, resorting to the last desperate measures they have left, like laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz and vowing to blow up any American or allied vessels that attempt to pass through. Even that strategy, however, is doomed to fail, as the Iranian Navy has been decimated. Slowly but surely, the Strait should become a safe place once more, leaving Iran’s ruined regime with no more aces up its sleeve, and no more secret strategies to fall back on. This may, in turn, pave the way for a transitional period of new leadership and perhaps a brighter and better future for the people of Iran, and beyond.
You can learn more about how America’s bomber fleet has blown Iran to bits in this video, which focuses on the extraordinary impact of the B-52 in the conflict so far. Or, for a closer look at how the U.S. Air Force is exploiting the stealthy capabilities of the B-2 Spirit to carry out sneaky strikes on Iranian infrastructure, watch this video instead. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel to be among the first to find out about big breaking news from the Iran war and other important conflicts around the world.