Operation Epic Fury
On February 28, 2026, under Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. used a very large mix of aircraft. It wasn't just aircraft from the carrier. The Pentagon's March 16 fact sheet lists B-1, B-2, B-52, F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-22, F-35, A-10, EA-18G, plus support, reconnaissance, tanker, transport and unmanned aircraft.
The main combat aircraft:
| Aircraft | Main role | Used against Iran? |
|---|---|---|
| B-2 Spirit | Stealth heavy bomber | Yes |
| B-1B Lancer | Heavy bomber | Yes |
| B-52H | Heavy bomber | Yes |
| F-35A/C | Stealth multirole fighter | Yes |
| F-15E Strike Eagle | Fighter/strike | Yes |
| F-16 | Multirole fighter | Yes |
| F-22 Raptor | Air superiority/stealth fighter | Yes |
| F/A-18 | Carrier fighter/strike | Yes |
| A-10 | Ground attack | Yes |
| EA-18G Growler | Electronic warfare | Yes |
Hundreds or Thousands Fighter Planes Involved?
The U.S. Air Force + Navy combined have ~2,900 fighters total — sending thousands would mean every single fighter in the entire inventory deployed to the Middle East — impossible.
An estimate by Air & Space Forces Magazine, based on open-source flight tracking, aircraft-spotter reports and satellite imagery, put the number at close to 300 U.S. fighters involved in the operation, plus at least 20 bombers.
What made up those ~300 fighters? They included aircraft such as F-35A/C, F-22, F-15E, F-16, F/A-18, and A-10. For example, approximately 30 Air Force F-35As were assembled in the Middle East, while Marine F-35Cs from the USS Abraham Lincoln also participated.
So how "bad" is Iran overall?
As of September 2026, Iran has not been completely crippled or destroyed, and it has retained significant military capabilities.
Iran's military facilities have not been completely crippled, though they have been severely damaged. The situation is a complex mix of significant destruction on the surface and resilient, largely intact capabilities underground.
What has been badly damaged?
US and Israeli strikes caused major losses to Iran's military-industrial infrastructure and surface-level forces. According to US Central Command statements from late March 2026:
Production Facilities: Over two-thirds of Iran's facilities for manufacturing missiles, drones, and naval vessels were damaged or destroyed.
Naval Power: 92% of Iran's large naval vessels were sunk or rendered inoperable.
Launch Rates: Iran's missile and drone launch frequency reportedly dropped by over 90% during the peak of the strikes.
Air Force: While not destroyed, Iran's older air force was largely kept out of the fight. Most aircraft survived by being hidden in underground bases, but they couldn't contest air superiority
| Area | Situation |
|---|---|
| Ballistic-missile sites | Severely damaged |
| Missile production | Seriously disrupted, but recovering |
| Air-defense systems | Major losses |
| Conventional navy | Most reportedly destroyed |
| Drone production | Severely suppressed, but can regenerate |
| Nuclear facilities | Major damage at key facilities |
| Military command/control | Significant strikes |
| Civilian infrastructure | Also damaged, but much less comprehensively than military targets |
| Iranian government itself | Still functioning |
How Badly Damaged Is The US Military Bases in Gulf Countries
No official details information exists for how much of the total US military base infrastructure in the Gulf has been destroyed. The situation is fluid, and reports describe damage in different ways — some bases were hit, some facilities were destroyed, and some may be permanently closed.
While the exact percentage is unknown, the available evidence suggests that a significant portion of the US military footprint in the Gulf has been degraded or put at risk.
Discussions within the Pentagon about potentially not rebuilding damaged sites or shifting forces to safer locations indicate that the damage has been substantial enough to force a strategic rethink.
Which US Millitary Base in the Gulf Countries Damaged The Most
Based on multiple reports and satellite analyses from the 2026 Iran-US/Israel War, the US Naval Support Activity in Bahrain, which housed the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, is consistently identified as the most severely damaged US military site in the Gulf.
Reports describe it as "blown the hell out of" and "largely destroyed". An analysis by The Washington Post noted that over half of the total damaged assets across the region were concentrated here and at three bases in Kuwait.
The damage was so extensive that the headquarters operations were forced to relocate to MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. The loss of this key naval hub forced the US to use Diego Garcia, thousands of miles away, as a logistics hub, significantly stretching resupply lines.
The Wall Street Journal estimated the damage to the Bahrain base alone at approximately $400 million. The Pentagon's initial assessment for the single strike on February 28 put the cost at about $200 million.
Other Heavily Affected Locations
While Bahrain appears to be the worst hit, other bases in Kuwait were also heavily targeted and damaged.
Ali Al Salem Air Base (Kuwait): This was the single most frequently hit base, with an analyst counting 23 separate strikes on the facility. Satellite imagery confirmed collapsed rooftops and damage to hangars, communications infrastructure, and warehouses.
Camp Arifjan (Kuwait): This base suffered at least 17 strikes. A drone attack on a tactical operations center here resulted in the deaths of six US service members, highlighting the base's vulnerability.
Military Targets (U.S. & Allied Bases)
| Date | Operation / Wave | Location & Target | Weapon Types | Key Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28 2026 | Initial retaliation | Al Udeid AB (Qatar); Ali Al Salem AB (Kuwait); Al Dhafra AB (UAE); US Fifth Fleet HQ (Bahrain) | Shahab‑3, Emad ballistic missiles | First large salvo; majority intercepted, base infrastructure damaged |
| Mar 1–10 | Follow‑up salvos | Same 4 core bases + Jordan | SRBM, drones | Repeated strikes; limited energy sites hit only after U.S. struck Iranian energy infrastructure |
| Jul 13 2026 | Nasr‑2 Wave 1–5 | Prince Hassan AB (Jordan); Shaikh Isa AB (Bahrain); Ali Al Salem, Ahmad al‑Jaber (Kuwait) | Fatah‑110, Kheibar ballistic missiles, Shahed‑series drones | Fuel depots, Patriot radars, P‑8 hangar, command centers destroyed |
| Jul 14–18 | Nasr‑2 Wave 6–20 | Bahrain (Juffair Naval Base, Fifth Fleet HQ); Kuwait (Camp Arifjan, Camp Udairi); Jordan (Azraq AB); Qatar (Al Udeid) | Fattah, Sejjil missiles; Shahed‑136, Lucas drones | HIMARS launchers, MQ‑9 hangars, early‑warning radars, comms centers hit |
| Jul 19–21 | Nasr‑2 Wave 21–25 | All above + Oman surveillance radar sites | Mixed missile/drone waves | "Radar‑clearing" campaign; sustained pressure across 5 nations |
| Aug 31 – Sep 2 | Post‑ceasefire renewal | Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, UAE, Iraq (Al‑Harir, Erbil) | Ballistic missiles + loitering munitions | Final large‑scale military salvo before fragile pause |
| Sep 3–21 | — | No major new waves | — | De‑escalation; isolated small drone incidents only |
Energy/Economic Targets
| Date | Location | Facility | Weapon Types | Damage Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 18–19 2026 | 🇶🇦 Qatar | Ras Laffan LNG export terminal | Ballistic missiles, drones | Extensive damage — 12.8 M ton/year capacity offline 3–5 years |
| Mar 19 | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | SAMREF Refinery (Yanbu) | Drones | Operational disruption; fire contained |
| Mar 19 | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | Mina al‑Ahmadi, Mina Abdullah refineries | Drones | Fires at both; partial shutdown |
| Mar 25–28 | 🇦🇪 UAE | Port Fujairah; Al Taweelah industrial zone | Ballistic missiles | Severe damage; plant shutdown |
| Apr 3–6 | 🇦🇪 UAE | Habshan/Ajban gas facilities; Borouge petrochemical | Missiles/drones | Gas processing halted; major fire |
| Apr 10–mid | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | BAPCO refinery | Missile debris | Moderate damage |
| Late Aug/early Sep | — | No new major energy strikes | — | Focus returned to military targets only |
Counter‑Strikes (U.S./Israel → Iran)
| Date | Target | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 28+ | IRGC command, missile sites, nuclear facilities | Operation Epic Fury — sustained air campaign |
| Mar 8 | Tehran refinery, Shahran depot, Karaj depot | 5+ domestic energy sites hit |
| Sep 5 & 8 | Persian Gulf — IRGC‑linked oil tankers | 8 tankers destroyed; Strait of Hormuz traffic collapsed |
Bypass Pipelines
| Country | Bypass Route | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇸🇦 Saudi | East-West Pipeline → Red Sea (Yanbu) | ~5–7 million bpd | Operating at max; struck Sept 10 → partial outage, 4–6 week repair |
| 🇦🇪 UAE | ADCOP pipeline → Fujairah (Gulf of Oman) | 1.8 million bpd | Active; doubling to 3.6M bpd by 2027 |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | None — no alternate coast | — | Most vulnerable; Ras Laffan hit hardest |
| 🇰🇼 Kuwait | None — fully dependent on Hormuz | — | Exports collapsed 80% at peak |
| 🇧🇭 Bahrain | None | — | Sitra refinery hit repeatedly |
Claims of Successful Hypersonic Strikes
As of September 2026, no Iranian hypersonic missile (Fattah-1 / Fattah-2) has been publicly confirmed as successfully intercepted by US or Israeli defenses.
However older regular ballistic missiles fired alongside them were intercepted in large numbers. "Zero interception" claims apply specifically to the hypersonic variants, not every Iranian missile.
Targeting Israeli Sites: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed its Fattah hypersonic missiles "shattered the myth" of Israeli air defense invincibility and struck targets including the Defense Ministry building and Ben Gurion Airport . Other reports cited footage suggesting at least three successful Fattah-2 strikes against high-value Israeli targets.
Bypassing US Systems: Iranian sources claimed that hypersonic missiles and drones "bypassed" the US THAAD system to strike targets in Tel Aviv.
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