U.S. Finally Unleashed F-22s on Iran… and Tehran Wasn’t Ready for it’s FULL POWER

The buildup came long before Operation Epic Fury  began.

F-22s were moved to bases in Israel and   the Middle East.

Tehran wasn’t ready.

When the  operation began, America’s F-22s came to Iran   like a ghost in the night.

Unseen.

Unstoppable.

A deliverer of massive destruction against secret   bases and now, a weapon that the U.S.

can use as  an ever-looming threat against Iran’s struggling   regime.

This is what the F-22 has done in Iran.

And it’s massive.

What we know about the F-22   so far in Iran is that it is one of the most  forward-focused aerial assets that the U.S.

has deployed.

It, along with the F-35, is a  stealth fighter jet, though both have played   different roles.

You can think of the F-35 as the  quarterback of the team of airframes that the U.S.

unleashed.

Filled with advanced sensors, those  jets have been directing traffic and carrying   out strikes against some of Iran’s most dangerous  military targets.

As for the F-22, it is packed   with sensors, too, and they’re important.

But it  has been the air superiority specialist.

The jet   that the U.S.

and Israel sent in to smash targets  and dominate the skies over Iran.

These multi-role   fighters have been taking out Iran’s air defenses  and secret bases, all while supporting other   airframes so that they can do the same.

The U.S.

plan worked.

Iran’s air defenses are in shambles.

By March 30, the Israel Defense Force was  reporting that about 80% of Iran’s air defenses   had been destroyed.

It’s no coincidence that the  first week or so of Operation Epic Fury was also   the period when the F-22 was in the most dominant  form of its strike mode.

For days, these jets were   flying in Iranian airspace, undetected by the very  air defenses that they were sent to destroy.

Along   the way, F-22s have also been taking out secret  bases, and the odds are that they’ve played a key   role in keeping the Islamic Revolutionary Guard  Corps, or IRGC, under control.

But it’s their   contribution to the dismantling of the Iranian  air defense network that has been their foremost   achievement so far.

Right now, the U.S.

has such  a degree of aerial superiority over Iran that   it is able to use the decades-old B-52 bomber to  conduct overland missions in Iran.

This wouldn’t   be happening if Iran had anything like an air  defense network left.

B-52s are huge and easy for   modern defense systems to detect.

The fact that  they’re flying all over Iran’s mainland tells us   that the 80% figure for Iran’s air defenses that  Israel shares is quite accurate.

It might even be   an underestimate.

And F-22s played a huge role in  making this type of air environment possible for   America’s airframes.

But that’s not all.

Now that  non-stealth platforms are flying overland in Iran,   the F-22s have shifted into more of a support  role akin to the one that America’s F-35s played   earlier in Operation Epic Fury.

They may not  stay in that role forever.

The situation in   Iran is close to escalating beyond what we’ve  seen so far, and we’ll be covering how F-22s   will be involved in that soon.

But for now, F-22s  are flying around undetected in Iran’s airspace,   collecting intelligence, surveillance, and  reconnaissance data.

It has plenty of sensors that   allow it to do just that, and this data isn’t just  being used by F-22s.

They’ll still be carrying out   strikes against Iran’s secret bases, of course.

However, the data that they’re collecting is also   being sent to older airframes, like F-16s and the  non-stealth bombers that the U.S.

has deployed in   Iran.

Think about what that means for Iran and the  IRGC.

It knows that F-22s are in the air.

But it   doesn’t know where, and, even before losing 80% of  its air defenses and the radars attached to those   systems, it couldn’t find them.

Now, those F-22s  are collecting data on targets, which is then   transmitted to other airframes so they can conduct  strikes while the F-22 flies off to a new sector   to collect even more data.

This is a layered  approach to airstrikes that has been made possible   because the U.S.

developed air superiority so  quickly, and the F-22 has been playing its part,   several of them, in fact, from the moment that  Operation Epic Fury was launched.

Worst of all for   Iran’s regime is that it can’t do a thing about  any of this.

The F-22 can cloak itself at any time   that it wants, allowing it to loiter within range  of Iran’s remaining radars without being seen.

It   can identify those radars and strike if it needs  to.

Or the F-22 can use its stealth capabilities   to pick out the many safe aerial corridors  that exist in Iran’s airspace.

All that another   airframe has to do at that point is head to where  the F-22 tells it, then unleash standoff munitions   that destroy targets left, right, and center.

And targets are being destroyed en masse.

The   count for the U.S.

military in Operation Epic Fury  is more than 11,000 targets hit as of March 29,   and the number will only climb higher if the  escalation that we mentioned earlier actually   happens.

As for the IRGC, it and its leaders  are living in a constant state of insecurity   with F-22s flying overhead.

This fighter jet is  perhaps one of the most lethal examples of the   technological edge that the U.S.

holds over Iran.

For the IRGC, that edge is one of the reasons why   so many of its most important figures have already  been eliminated.

Euronews highlights some of them.

It says that the number of dead senior officials  in Iran’s regime had reached at least 70 by March   21.

Among them is Ali-Mohammed Naeini, who was  a spokesperson for the IRGC.

His may not be the   most important scalp in the world, but he was a  key front-facing figure for the IRGC.

Others who   have died were far more important to the response  that the IRGC is trying to mount against the U.S.

The first day of Operation Epic Fury, which would  have seen America’s F-22s at their most active,   resulted in the death of Mohammed Pakpour, who was  the Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC.

Since then,   the IRGC has lost multiple officers from the  Lebanon and Palestine branches of the IRGC, as   well as the corps’ former Deputy Coordinator,  Ali Hashemi.

The Senior Commander of the IRGC   Aerospace Force, Esmail Dehghan, has been  eliminated, as have other officers linked   to the IRGC but based in other countries.

Did  F-22s carry out any of these strikes directly?   We can’t know for sure.

But what does seem  certain is that they would have been supplying   intelligence to the aircraft that took all of  these IRGC leaders out, even if it wasn’t the   airframe firing the missiles and bombs itself.

This is why the IRGC and its remaining members   are so insecure.

Whether they know an F-22 is  in the skies or not, the ever-looming threat   is always there.

And sometimes, that threat comes  from the most unexpected directions, all because   F-22s can share so much data with other aerial  platforms in Iran.

When we say that Iran wasn’t   ready for the F-22s’ full power, we mean it.

But  the regime and the IRGC should have known what was   coming.

We’ve already covered some of the F-22’s  capabilities, which have made it a perfect choice   for Operation Epic Fury.

It’s stealthy, and  it has a dangerous combination of sensors and   firepower.

The U.S.

Air Force goes into even more  detail, noting that the F-22 combines its stealth   with the sort of maneuverability that makes it  a nightmare to track and engage in the skies.

This is a jet that can hit Mach 2 with supercruise  capabilities, meaning it can maintain supersonic   speeds without engaging afterburners that would  make it show up on Iran’s radars.

With a range of   over 1,850 miles, the F-22 can also fly multiple  times over targets, before heading back to base.

And when it comes to firepower, it has everything  that it needs to destroy whatever is in its path,   assuming it doesn’t call in another airframe to  do the job.

An F-22 comes loaded with a M61A2   20-millimeter cannon, complete with 480 rounds,  that can shred through targets like drones and   unhardened structures on the ground.

Internal  side weapons bays can carry a pair of AIM-9   infrared air-to-air missiles, not that the jet  has needed them for anything bigger than drones,   as Iran’s antique air force has been a non-factor  during Operation Epic Fury.

AIM-120s can also be   included for a devastating air-to-air package.

For ground targets, the F-22 carries several   munitions, including the GBU-39B small diameter  bomb.

Weighing 250 pounds, these bombs are precise   enough to strike almost any target on the ground,  and small enough to give the F-22 the option of   hitting multiple targets, all without ever once  breaking its stealth.

If the F-22 isn’t using   those types of bombs, it can also be packed  with GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions,   which weigh about 1,000 pounds each and can  deliver immense firepower to a target when needed.

All of this is publicly available information.

The  U.S.

Air Force has been practically screaming at   Iran that the F-22 was coming and that it would  tear through the IRGC’s military infrastructure.

But still, Iran didn’t see the scale of  destruction coming.

But it could have, even   without all of these specs.

That’s because 2013  revealed to Iran just how effective the F-22 would   be if it were ever deployed in its territory.

This  incident alone shows you why this aircraft has   been so effective.

However, before digging deeper  into it, you’re watching The Military Show.

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So,   2013… What happened? In that year, an Iranian  Su-25, which is among the best attack jets   in Iran’s Air Force, despite being a Soviet-era  relic, attempted to intercept a U.S.

MQ-1 Predator   drone in international airspace.

The Iranian jet  failed.

But the incident was enough to convince   the U.S.

to send a message to Iran.

It did that by  deploying F-22s as escorts for its drones, which   led to one of the most humiliating experiences  in Iran’s aerial history.

The incident saw the   U.S.

F-22, piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Kevin  Sutterfield, escorting Predator drones.

It wasn’t   long before his stealth jet’s sensors alerted  Sutterfield to the approach of a pair of Iranian   F-4 Phantoms.

Again, these were great fighter  jets in their day.

But by 2013, they belonged   in a museum, rather than in any sort of contested  airspace.

The pilots of those jets didn’t spot   Sutterfield’s F-22, which prompted him to pull off  a move that has gone down in legend.

As the F-4s   approached to intercept the American Predator  drone, Sutterfield flew his F-22 underneath the   incoming jets.

There, he idled for a moment before  he pulled his F-22 up alongside the Iranian F-4s   and delivered the ultimate message: “You really  oughta go home.

” Iran’s pilots listened and,   if the IRGC had been paying attention, it would  have learned everything that it needed to know   about the F-22s that are flying in its airspace  right now.

America’s stealth fighter is the sort   of technical achievement that none of Iran’s  defenses were prepared to counter.

Operation   Epic Fury has proven it.

Thousands of targets have  been hit directly or indirectly by this jet that   Iran’s radars and airframes can’t detect.

The  U.S.

has gone from delivering cheeky warnings   in international airspace to dropping bombs and  launching missiles inside Iran, and the IRGC can’t   do much about it beyond what Iran’s pilots did 13  years ago – run away, hide, and hope that the F-22   goes away.

The F-22 has been a standout during  the first month of Operation Epic Fury.

Now,   the question is what it will do next.

Here’s where  things will get serious for the F-22s in Iran.

So far, they’ve been conducting or supporting  aerial operations.

Targets have been destroyed,   secret bases shattered, and stealth kills have  been made over and over again.

Now comes the   escalation.

As we speak, the U.S.

seems to be  preparing for a ground invasion somewhere in Iran,   and F-22s will almost inevitably play a role.

Two  Marine Expeditionary Units, the 31st and the 11th,   are either heading to the region or, in the case  of the 31st, are already there.

They’ll be joined   by paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division,  giving the U.S.

around 6,000 elite soldiers in the   region, along with the crews of the ships that are  sailing them to the Persian Gulf.

Those soldiers   join around 50,000 who are stationed in bases  around the Middle East, providing the U.S.

with   a ground force powerful enough to try almost  anything up to and including assaults on the   Iranian mainland itself.

The mainland doesn’t seem  to be the target, though.

In a March 30 report,   Al Jazeera claimed that a pair of unnamed U.S.

officials have said that the Department of   Defense is preparing for ground raids against  Kharg Island.

This small island is home to an   oil terminal through which 90% of Iran’s crude  oil exports are processed, and the idea seems   to be to place severe economic pressure on Iran  to force the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,   through which 20% of the world’s oil and liquified  natural gas flows.

The idea is simple – take away   the Iranian regime’s main source of income, and  you can force it to relinquish its grip on Hormuz.

The role of the ground troops will be to head in,  take over, and hold Iran’s oil infrastructure for   as long as is needed.

That’s a dangerous  job.

Those soldiers will be sitting ducks   for Iran’s missiles and drones if they don’t have  air support.

And that’s where America’s F-22s are   likely to come in.

These stealth fighters could  launch attacks against Kharg Island’s remaining   military infrastructure, along with missile launch  sites across the Strait of Hormuz coast that could   target American troops on Kharg Island.

We’ll  likely see America’s F-22s perform the same sort   of supporting role that they’re handling over the  Iranian mainland.

The U.S.

has Apache helicopters   and A-10 Warthog attack aircraft operating in the  Strait of Hormuz.

It isn’t much of a stretch to   assume that F-22s will be conducting flyovers of  the strait, gathering data that can then be used   by Apaches, A-10s, and any other airpower  that the U.S.

deploys.

That airpower will   support the Kharg Island invasion by taking out  drones, missiles, missile bases, fast boats,   and any other threat that Iran can deploy.

At  least, that’s likely the plan.

Kharg Island is   still a very dangerous proposition because it is  loaded with so much flammable oil infrastructure.

That’s the case even with F-22s in play.

It  only takes one missile hitting the right spot   to create a fiery death trap that leaves what some  would argue are hundreds, if not thousands, of   unnecessary casualties on America’s hands.

F-22s  could soften up Kharg Island’s defenses ahead of a   ground incursion via massive aerial bombardments.

The same could be said of F-35s and, if the U.S.

is confident in its air superiority, a host of  other aerial assets that the U.S.

could deploy.

However, it’s also possible that America’s F-22s  will turn their sights toward another target:   The Strait of Hormuz coast.

Specifically, hardened  targets along that coast, such as missile launch   sites and ammunition stockpiles, could become  targets for America’s F-22s and their GBU-39   bombs.

Precision attack across the coast would go  a long way toward minimizing the threat that the   IRGC can pose to the U.S.

ground forces on Kharg  Island.

They would also add to the damage that   had already been done to these types of coastal  targets by mid-March, which is when news broke   of the U.S.

deploying 5,000-pound bunker-busting  munitions against hardened missile sites.

F-22s   bring stealth into the equation, which will  also make them difficult for whatever’s left   of Iran’s coastal air defenses to stop.

An IRGC  soldier with a MANPAD isn’t going to be able to   do much about an F-22.

The American fighter would  be able to arrive, fire, and leave before that   soldier could even get their shoulder-launched  air defense system ready.

But perhaps the most   important thing that America’s F-22s can do  as the U.S.

prepares for ground operations is   to be the same kind of constant looming threat  that it has been over Iran since the beginning   of Operation Epic Fury.

Practically invisible to  the IRGC, the jet can scan the coast constantly.

Every missile launch attempted against Kharg  Island will be spotted and, with the data from   F-22s, have a large chance of being intercepted.

Iran’s regime also knows that its own troops won’t   be able to make any serious moves, should the  IRGC consider a ground-based counter-invasion.

Combine a naval blockade of Kharg Island with  F-22s patrolling the skies, and you get a very   low likelihood of Iranian ground forces making  it across the short 20-mile or so stretch of   water between Iran’s mainland and the island that  the U.S.

plans to invade.

And there’s more.

U.S.

President Donald Trump has threatened that the  U.S.

will take aim at Iran’s water desalination   plants.

That would be a big, and potentially  dangerous, step.

The Independent notes that   Iran has experienced acid rain and heavy smoke  since Operation Epic Fury began.

Desalination   plants are crucial for cleaning up water so it  can be used and consumed, and attacking them would   impact Iran’s civilians just as much, if not more  so, than the Iranian regime and the IRGC.

Iran   is also dealing with a fifth consecutive year of  extreme drought, the same outlet reports, as some   reservoirs in Iran are currently at about 10% of  their maximum capacities.

Attacks on these plants   could create a major civilian crisis in Iran,  which is the last thing that Trump wants, given   that he has called on Iran’s people to “take back  their country” since the start of Operation Epic   Fury.

Still, the attacks could happen.

And if they  do, the F-22s that have already devastated so much
of Iran’s military infrastructure could again play  a role.

Iran may have focused as much of its air   defenses as it can on these vital plants, but that  won’t protect it from stealthy F-22s, should Trump   decide to follow through on his threat.

A lot  could change before that happens, though.

If the   U.S.

succeeds in taking and holding Kharg Island,  attacks on desalination plants likely won’t be   needed.

The U.S.

would have economic leverage  against Iran, which could force the reopening of   the Strait of Hormuz.

But whichever direction the  U.S.

goes next, its F-22s will likely be leading   the charge.

They’ve been doing just that since the  beginning of Operation Epic Fury, and that isn’t   going to change as the U.S.

gears up for a ground  invasion.

As the U.S.

moves into a new phase of   Operation Epic Fury with its F-22s, Iran’s Gulf  neighbors are starting to strike back.

Having   been targeted by Iran’s missiles and drones,  they’re preparing their own responses, which   could leave Iran backed into a corner as America’s  ground troops enter.