The cost of operations against Iran has risen to $29 billion, a senior Pentagon official told lawmakers May 12, a $4 billion increase from the Department of Defense’s last public estimate two weeks ago.
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The U.S. military conducted strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz on May 7, as the conflict with Iran flared up again—though officials say the ceasefire remains in effect.
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Air Force fighters, tankers, and intelligence aircraft are contributing “defensive overwatch” as the U.S. military seeks to guide commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, senior officials said.
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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told lawmakers April 30 that the Pentagon should consider buying “a lot more” B-21 Raider next-generation stealth bombers, signaling top-level interest in expanding the official program of record for the aircraft.
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The war in Iran has cost about $25 billion so far, Pentagon officials told Congress on April 29, providing the first public estimate of the cost of Operation Epic Fury.
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Top Air Force leaders and other dignitaries paid tribute to the "audacity" of Airmen past and present to carry out dangerous and vital missions at the Doolittle Raiders Memorial Toast hosted by the Air & Space Forces Association on April 17.
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The Air & Space Forces Association celebrated the anniversary of the Doolittle Raid with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Kenneth S. Wilsbach and other leaders.
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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth claimed “a historic military victory” after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire late April 7, even as he and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine said American forces will remain “ready” to resume operations should the ceasefire expire without a longer peace deal.
The post As US Announces Ceasefire with Iran, Pentagon Says Forces Will ‘Stay…
The dramatic and sprawling two-day operation to save the crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down over Iran on April 3 involved hundreds of personnel, dozens of aircraft—and multiple close calls.
The post The Rescue of DUDE 44: Inside the Massive Operation to Save Two Downed Airmen In Iran appeared first on Air & Space Forces Magazine.
B-52 Stratofortress bombers marked a new first in Operation Epic Fury when some of the BUFFs flew over Iran carrying JDAM-guided gravity bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. The development signals a weakening of Iranian air defenses and a new use for the venerable bomber in the nearly five-week-old air campaign.
The post B-52s Carrying JDAMs over Iran as US Bombers Play Growing…
Brig. Gen. Clarence E. “Bud” Anderson, the last surviving triple ace from World War II, was honored one last time by the nation's top Airmen when he was buried here with full military honors March 30.
The post Nation’s Top Airmen Honor Bud Anderson as Legendary WWII Triple Ace Buried at Arlington appeared first on Air & Space Forces Magazine.
The U.S. military is poised to double its A-10 presence in the Middle East, as the venerable close air support plane plays a key role in combating Iranian boats and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq as part of Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
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The Air Force has posthumously promoted two of the six Airmen who died in a KC-135 crash in western Iraq on March 12.
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The Air Force is using some of its newest bombs and some of its oldest planes to strike very different targets in the Strait of Hormuz during Operation Epic Fury—a high-tech bunker-busting bomb and the famous A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine referenced both weapons systems in his March 19 Pentagon briefing, which included updates on…
For nearly five minutes, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described in detail how the bomber fleet is playing a key role in Operation Epic Fury and how the Airmen who operate that fleet do their jobs.
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Control of the skies in Operation Epic Fury is enabling the Pentagon to rely more on satellite- and laser-guided bombs, throttle back on expensive long-range standoff munitions, and move to a new phase of air war, defense officials said on March 4. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said the degrading of Iran’s air defenses had enabled the U.S. to achieve air superiority in the…
Pentagon leaders insist they have a sufficient stockpile of munitions to continue strikes on Iran amid reports that the U.S. military’s supply of key weapons and interceptors has been diminished in the first four days of conflict.
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The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick conclusion.
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U.S. space and cyber forces were the “first movers” in this weekend’s strikes on Iran, Pentagon leaders say, helping create a path for the joint force to strike more than 1,000 targets in the campaign’s first 24 hours.
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The U.S. military is moving to restock its supply of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-busting bombs it used against Iran's underground nuclear facilities last June, according to Air Force documents.
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