🎯 Weapons Exposed

Stealth strategic bomber at $2.1 billion each — the most expensive aircraft ever built. Used to penetrate Iranian air defenses and deliver bunker-busting bombs on underground nuclear facilities. At $130K per flight hour, every sortie costs more than a house.

Carrier-based strike fighter — the backbone of Navy air operations against Iran. Launching from carriers in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, Super Hornets fly strike and escort missions around the clock.

5th-gen stealth multirole fighter. The Pentagon's most expensive weapons program ($1.7T lifetime cost). Deployed for SEAD missions and precision strikes in Iran. At $36K/flight hour, it costs $36,000 every time the wheels leave the ground — per hour.

Air superiority fighter ensuring US dominance of Iranian skies. At $150M each, only 187 were ever built. Now flying combat air patrols over Iran — the first peer-level air war it was designed for.

Supersonic heavy bomber carrying the largest conventional payload in the US arsenal. Used extensively as a JASSM-ER launch platform, loitering outside Iranian airspace and firing cruise missiles. $60K per flight hour.

Ship and submarine-launched cruise missile. The workhorse of the opening salvo — 800+ fired in the first weeks, each one costing more than most Americans earn in a lifetime. GPS/INS guided with 1,000-mile range.

Armed surveillance drone — the signature weapon of the 'War on Terror' now deployed over Iran. Can loiter for 27 hours carrying Hellfire missiles and JDAMs. Each drone costs $32M; the missiles it fires cost extra.

High-altitude surveillance drone flying at 60,000 feet for 30+ hours. Iran shot one down in 2019 — now they're back, scanning every square mile of Iranian territory. At $131M each, losing one costs more than an F-35.

Aegis ship-based ballistic missile interceptor. Fired from destroyers and cruisers in the Persian Gulf to intercept Iranian missiles in their midcourse phase. At $15M each, the Navy is spending more on interceptors than Iran spends on the missiles being intercepted.

Hit-to-kill interceptor shooting down Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at US bases and allied capitals. At $4M per shot against missiles that cost Iran $300K, the math is brutal — and intentional. Iran fires cheap missiles to drain expensive interceptors.

Air-launched stealth cruise missile designed to evade advanced air defenses. Fired from B-1B and F-15E aircraft against hardened Iranian targets including IRGC command bunkers and air defense sites.

Terminal High Altitude missile defense interceptor. Deployed in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar to shield against Iranian medium-range ballistic missiles. At $12M per interceptor, each successful shoot-down costs more than most hospitals.

30,000-pound bunker buster — the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal. Designed specifically for Iran's underground nuclear facilities at Fordow and Natanz. Penetrates 200+ feet of reinforced concrete. Only the B-2 can carry it.

GPS guidance kit bolted onto dumb bombs to make them 'smart.' At $25K each they're the cheapest precision weapon — so they get used the most. 5,000+ dropped on Iranian military infrastructure, vehicles, and troop concentrations.

High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile that homes in on radar emissions. Used to destroy Iranian air defense radars — blinding their SAM network so bombers can operate freely. The opening move in any air campaign.

High Mobility Artillery Rocket System — made famous in Ukraine, now deployed to forward bases in Iraq and Gulf states for precision rocket strikes into western Iran. Each launcher fires 6 GPS-guided rockets or 1 ATACMS tactical missile.

Precision air-to-ground missile fired from drones, helicopters, and aircraft. The go-to weapon for targeted strikes — each one designed to kill a vehicle, a building, or a person for $150K.

250-lb GPS-guided bomb with standoff glide wings. Designed to minimize collateral damage in urban areas — though 'minimize' is doing heavy lifting. F-35s carry 8 internally.

Heavyweight submarine-launched torpedo used against Iranian navy vessels and mini-submarines in the Strait of Hormuz. At $3.8M each, these are the most expensive torpedoes ever made.

Sea-skimming anti-ship missile used to sink Iranian fast attack boats and frigates in the Persian Gulf. A 40-year-old design still punching holes in ships.

Man-portable air defense missile (MANPADS) deployed for base defense against Iranian drones and low-flying aircraft. The same weapon that helped the Afghan mujahideen shoot down Soviet helicopters in the 1980s.

Fire-and-forget anti-tank missile with top-attack capability. Not a primary weapon in this conflict but deployed with ground forces in Iraq and at forward bases as defense against Iranian armor and vehicles.