The $28,095-Per-Second War
What Operation Epic Fury Is Costing America
Every Tomahawk, every B-2 sortie, every interceptor — priced, sourced, and compared to what that money could buy at home.
The War Clock
Conservative estimate based on known platform costs and munitions expenditures. Actual costs likely higher.
Methodology: How We Calculated This
Transparency note: War costs are inherently difficult to calculate in real time. The Pentagon does not publish daily operational expenditures. Our estimates combine: (1) known unit costs from DoD budget documents and CBO reports, (2) reported sortie rates from CENTCOM press briefings, (3) published platform operating costs per flight hour from GAO audits, and (4) historical cost patterns from comparable operations (Operation Odyssey Dawn/Libya 2011, Operation Inherent Resolve/ISIS 2014-present, Operation Midnight Hammer/Iran 2025). We use conservative assumptions throughout. Where we estimate, we say so explicitly and show our math.
The first week of Operation Epic Fury — February 28 to March 6, 2026 — was the most intensive opening air campaign since Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. CENTCOM reported 2,500+ targets struck, with both US and Israeli forces conducting round-the-clock operations. The scale was staggering: 400+ Tomahawk cruise missiles launched, multiple B-2 Spirit sorties from Whiteman AFB (30+ hour round trips), hundreds of F-35 and F/A-18 sorties daily from two carrier strike groups, and a massive missile defense effort intercepting Iranian retaliatory salvos across seven countries.
Munitions Expended: The $3.2 Billion Shopping List
Every bomb, missile, and interceptor has a price tag. In the first week alone, the US and coalition forces expended an estimated $3.2 billion in precision munitions. To put this in context: the entire US annual foreign aid budget to Africa is $8.5 billion. We spent a third of that in seven days of bombs.
| Munition | Unit Cost | Est. Qty (Week 1) | Est. Total |
|---|---|---|---|
Tomahawk Block V (TLAM) FY2026 unit cost. Range: $1.75M–$4.1M depending on variant. Lockheed Martin / RTX. | $2.5M | 400+ | $1.0B+ |
JASSM-ER (AGM-158B) Stealthy cruise missile, 575+ mile range. Lockheed Martin. Used by B-2s and F-15Es. | $1.36M | 200+ | $272M+ |
GBU-57 MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator) 30,000-lb bunker buster. Only deliverable by B-2. Used against Fordow and buried sites. | $3.5M | 20+ | $70M+ |
JDAM (GBU-31/32/38) GPS-guided kit on Mk 82/83/84 bombs. Boeing. Workhorse of the campaign. | $25K–$40K | 3,000+ | $75M–$120M |
SDB II (GBU-53/B StormBreaker) Small Diameter Bomb with tri-mode seeker. RTX. Used by F-35s. | $40K | 500+ | $20M+ |
SM-6 (Standard Missile 6) Ship-launched anti-air/anti-missile. RTX. Defending carrier groups from Iranian ballistic missiles. | $4.3M | 100+ | $430M+ |
SM-3 Block IIA Ballistic missile interceptor. RTX/Mitsubishi. Each intercept costs more than most Iranian missiles. | $36M | 20+ | $720M+ |
Patriot PAC-3 MSE Lockheed Martin. Defending bases across 7+ countries from Iranian missile/drone salvos. | $4M | 150+ | $600M+ |
AIM-120D AMRAAM Air-to-air missile. RTX. Used by F-22s and F-35s against Iranian drones. | $1.1M | 50+ | $55M+ |
| Estimated Munitions Total (Week 1) | $3.24B+ | ||
The Interceptor Problem
The most financially devastating aspect of this war is missile defense. Each SM-3 Block IIA interceptor costs $36 million. Each Iranian Shahab-3 or Emad ballistic missile costs an estimated $500,000–$2 million. Iran is spending $2M to force the US to spend $36M. That's an 18:1 cost exchange ratio — in Iran's favor. At 20+ intercepts in the first week alone, that's$720 million just in SM-3s. The Patriot PAC-3 situation is only slightly better: $4M per interceptor against $50K–$200K Iranian drones and cruise missiles. Iran doesn't need to overwhelm US defenses — it just needs to bankrupt them.
Platform Operating Costs: $50M+ Per Day Just to Show Up
Before a single bomb drops, it costs tens of millions of dollars per day simply to operate the platforms involved. These figures represent the incremental cost of wartime operations — fuel, maintenance, crew, and logistics above peacetime baseline rates.
| Platform | Daily Cost | Week 1 Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier Strike Group (Ford) | $7M | $49M | USS Gerald R. Ford CSG: carrier, air wing, 5 surface combatants, 1 submarine, 6,700+ crew. Forbes/Naval Post estimate $6.5–$8M/day. |
| Carrier Strike Group (Lincoln) | $6.5M | $45.5M | USS Abraham Lincoln CSG. Nimitz-class, slightly lower daily cost. |
| B-2 Spirit sorties | $4.5M | $31.5M | 3+ B-2s flying 30-40hr round trips from Whiteman AFB, Missouri. $150K/hr flight cost × ~30hrs = $4.5M per sortie. DoD/Economy Insights. |
| B-52H Stratofortress | $1.2M | $8.4M | $70K/hr × ~17hrs per sortie from Diego Garcia. Multiple sorties per day during surge operations. |
| F-35A/C operations | $8.4M | $58.8M | ~200 F-35 sorties/day at $42K/hr (CBO) × ~1hr average = $8.4M daily. Includes sorties from carriers and Gulf bases. |
| F/A-18E/F Super Hornet | $3.6M | $25.2M | ~150 sorties/day at $24K/hr from both carriers. |
| F-15E Strike Eagle | $2.5M | $17.5M | Operating from Al Dhafra (UAE) and Al Udeid (Qatar). $29K/hr, ~12hrs/day total flying. |
| Ohio-class SSGN submarines | $1.5M | $10.5M | 2+ SSGNs launching Tomahawks. Each carries 154 TLAMs. |
| Arleigh Burke destroyers (8+) | $2M | $14M | 8+ DDGs launching Tomahawks and providing Aegis missile defense. ~$250K/day each. |
| Aerial refueling (KC-135/KC-46) | $2.8M | $19.6M | 40+ tanker sorties/day to support B-2, F-35, F-15E operations. $35K/hr per tanker. |
| ISR (RC-135, RQ-4, MQ-9) | $3M | $21M | Signals intelligence, surveillance drones flying 24/7 orbits over Iran. |
| Cyber operations (US Cyber Command) | $2M | $14M | Offensive cyber against Iranian air defense, communications, power grid. Estimated. |
| Logistics and sealift | $5M | $35M | Ammunition ships, fleet oilers, C-17/C-5 airlift. Surge resupply from CONUS depots. |
| Total Platform Costs | ~$50M | ~$350M |
Total Cost: Week One
This is direct military cost only. It does not include: economic damage from Hormuz closure (est. $5–10B/day globally), increased fuel costs for DoD worldwide, emergency deployments, intelligence operations, diplomatic costs, or long-term veterans' care for wounded service members.
Scaling Forward: What Does a Full Campaign Cost?
Trump told CNBC operations would take "four weeks or less." History suggests otherwise — the air campaign over Libya (2011) lasted 7 months, the ISIS campaign took 5+ years, and Operation Midnight Hammer against Iran in June 2025 cost $2.25 billion for just 37 hours.
| Scenario | Duration | Est. Direct Cost | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Win (Trump's promise) | 4 weeks | $10–15B | Roughly equal to the entire annual EPA budget |
| Extended air campaign | 3 months | $30–50B | Roughly the annual cost of US food assistance (SNAP) for 15M people |
| Protracted conflict | 6-12 months | $80–200B | Approaching the cost of Afghanistan's peak years ($100B/yr) |
| Ground invasion + occupation | Years | $1–3T+ | Iran is 4x the size of Iraq with 2.5x the population |
What That Money Could Buy Instead
Every dollar spent on war is a dollar not spent on something else. This isn't a political statement — it's arithmetic. The opportunity cost of military spending is one of the most underreported aspects of any conflict.
The Real Per-Taxpayer Cost
The US has approximately 150 million individual tax filers. At an estimated $3.6 billion for Week 1 alone:
- $24 per taxpayer for the first week
- $67–$100 per taxpayer for Trump's promised 4-week campaign
- $200–$333 per taxpayer for a 3-month air campaign
- $6,667–$20,000 per taxpayer if this becomes another Iraq (which cost $3 trillion total)
This doesn't include the indirect costs: higher gas prices from the Hormuz closure, inflation from supply chain disruption, or the long-term cost of veterans' care (which for Iraq/Afghanistan reached $300 billion and counting).
Who Profits?
Every munition expended must be replaced. Every interceptor fired is a new contract. The defense industry's stock prices tell the story the government won't:
| Company | Key Products Used | Est. Revenue from Week 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin | JASSM-ER, PAC-3, F-35, F-16V | $900M+ |
| RTX (Raytheon) | Tomahawk, SM-6, SM-3, StormBreaker, Patriot | $1.8B+ |
| Northrop Grumman | B-2 Spirit, B-21 Raider (support), RQ-4 Global Hawk | $200M+ |
| Boeing | JDAM, F/A-18, KC-46, GBU-57 MOP | $250M+ |
| General Dynamics | Arleigh Burke destroyers, Virginia-class submarines, munitions | $100M+ |
Between 2021 and 2025, AIPAC spent $221 million on US political campaigns. The defense industry spent $247 million lobbying Congress in 2024 alone. The first week of this war generated an estimated $3.2 billion in replacement orders for the top five defense contractors. That's a return of more than 680% on lobbying investment. In one week.
Historical Comparison: First-Week Costs
| Conflict | Year | First-Week Cost (2026$) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf War (Desert Storm) | 1991 | ~$3B | 38-day air campaign. Heavy use of Tomahawks (first combat use). |
| Iraq War (OIF) | 2003 | ~$4B | "Shock and Awe" — 1,700+ air sorties on day one. |
| Libya (Odyssey Dawn) | 2011 | ~$700M | Smaller scale. 124 Tomahawks on day one. |
| Syria strikes | 2018 | ~$250M | One night. 105 missiles. Limited strike. |
| Iran (Epic Fury) | 2026 | ~$3.6B | 2,500+ targets. 400+ Tomahawks. B-2 sorties. Massive missile defense. |
Operation Epic Fury's first week was comparable to the opening of Iraq in 2003 — but with far more expensive munitions. The precision-guided revolution means each bomb costs more, and the missile defense burden (something that barely existed in 2003) is enormous. Iran's retaliatory missile and drone salvos have forced the US to expend hundreds of interceptors that cost 10–70x what the incoming weapons cost. This is a war of economic attrition, and on the interceptor ledger, Iran is winning.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Is Counting
Hormuz Economic Damage: $5–10 Billion Per Day (Global)
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has removed 21 million barrels/day from global oil markets. At $130+/barrel, that's $2.7 billion/day in lost oil trade alone, plus cascading effects on LNG, shipping, insurance, and commodity prices. Goldman Sachs estimates the total global economic impact at $5–10 billion per day. See: Hormuz: The $80 Billion Chokepoint →
Veterans' Care: The 40-Year Bill
Every wounded service member generates decades of medical costs. The VA estimates lifetime care for a seriously wounded veteran at $2–4 million. With 18+ wounded in Week 1 and the number climbing, the long-term care bill could reach hundreds of millions. For Iraq and Afghanistan, veterans' care has already cost $300+ billion — and the wars ended years ago.
Munitions Stockpile Depletion
The US has a finite stockpile of precision munitions. 400+ Tomahawks in one week is a significant percentage of the Navy's total inventory (~4,000 as of 2024). SM-3 Block IIA production is only ~36 per year. At the Week 1 expenditure rate, the US will exhaust certain interceptor stockpiles within weeks. Replacing them takes years. This is the cost nobody talks about: we are spending munitions faster than we can build them.
Fuel Costs for the Military Itself
The DoD is the world's single largest institutional consumer of fuel — about 100 million barrels per year. The Hormuz closure has spiked fuel prices for the military's own operations worldwide. Every $10 increase in oil prices costs the DoD an additional $1.3 billion per year. Oil at $130+ (up from ~$70 pre-war) adds $7.8 billion in annual fuel costs for the Pentagon alone. The war is making itself more expensive.
Sources & Methodology
- Tomahawk Block V unit cost: FY2026 DoD Selected Acquisition Report; GovFacts analysis ($2.5M avg, range $1.75M–$4.1M)
- JASSM-ER unit cost: DoD FY2025 budget justification ($1.36M)
- GBU-57 MOP: GAO cost assessment ($3.5M per unit)
- SM-6 unit cost: Congressional Research Service, Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense ($4.3M)
- SM-3 Block IIA: CRS/MDA reports ($36M per unit)
- Patriot PAC-3 MSE: Lockheed Martin FY2025 contract data ($4M per round)
- B-2 operating cost: DoD CAPE, Economy Insights ($150K/hr); SimpleFlying ($130K–$150K/hr)
- F-35 cost per flight hour: CBO June 2024 report ($42K/hr for F-35A)
- Carrier Strike Group daily cost: Forbes/CNA analysis ($6.5M/day); DefenseFeeds ($6–8M/day)
- Sortie rates: CENTCOM press briefings, ISW daily reports (Feb 28–Mar 6)
- Munitions stockpile estimates: CRS "Precision-Guided Munitions: Background and Issues" (2024)
- DoD fuel consumption: Defense Logistics Agency Energy annual report (2024)
- Oil price impact methodology: EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook + Bloomberg terminal data
Related Analysis
Iran 2026: The Full Story →
Day-by-day account of Operation Epic Fury
Hormuz: The $80 Billion Chokepoint →
What the strait closure means for the global economy
The Civilian Cost →
Schools, hospitals, and the Grand Bazaar
11 Countries, 7 Days →
How a two-country war became a regional catastrophe
Iran 2026 — Conflict Data →
Raw numbers: costs, casualties, key events
War Profiteering →
Who gets rich from American wars