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 US 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 US 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 US 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 US 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 US
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 US 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 US 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 US 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 US 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 US 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 US 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 US 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
US 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 US MQ-1 Predator drone in international airspace.

The Iranian jet
failed.

But the incident was enough to convince the US 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 US 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
US 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 US 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 US 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 US 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 US
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 US 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 US 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 US is confident in its air superiority, a host of
other aerial assets that the US 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 US 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 US 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 US 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 US plans to invade.

And there’s more.

US President Donald Trump has threatened that the
US 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 US succeeds in taking and holding Kharg Island,
attacks on desalination plants likely won’t be needed.

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

But whichever direction the
US 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 US gears up for a ground
invasion.

As the US 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.

Find out how the balance of power in the Gulf is on the verge of changing
in our video.

And if you enjoyed this video, make sure you subscribe to The Military Show to
keep up with our coverage of Operation Epic Fury.