While the US maintains air superiority over Iran, whose air force has been severely weakened, the conflict has revealed several challenges for the Gulf States, European forces in the region, and the US itself.
One of these is the absence of deployed airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft in the area. The USAF operates a limited number of E-3G Sentry aircraft, supported by carrier-based E-2C/D Hawkeyes. On 10 March, Australia confirmed the deployment of an RAAF E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft to the United Arab Emirates, along with roughly 85 Australian Defence Force personnel, for an initial four-week mission aimed at enhancing airspace surveillance over the Persian Gulf.
The RAF has only one E-7A Wedgetail, which is not yet cleared for operational service, and the UK’s only AEW&C asset deployed to Cyprus is a single RN Merlin Mk2 Crowsnest Airborne Surveillance and Control System (ASaC) helicopter.
Another issue is the expense of intercepting Iranian missiles and drones with fighter aircraft. An RAF F-35B based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus recently shot down Iranian drones over Jordan successfully, with the pilot firing two ASRAAM missiles within 20 minutes, each from less than a mile away. ASRAAMs costing £200,000 each were used to destroy a Shahed drone valued at US$30,000 to US$50,000.
France has confirmed that its Rafale jets based at Al Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi shot down approximately 60 drones targeting the UAE during defensive missions, using MICA air-to-air missiles costing around €600,000 to €700,000 each.
USAF and USN fighters mainly intercept drones using AIM-9X Sidewinders, although F-15s also utilise laser-guided rockets, which are less than 10 percent the cost of an AIM-9X missile. The Rafale is equipped with an internal 30mm Giat DEFA 791B cannon, while the USAF F-35 can carry a multi-mission pod fitted with the GAU-22/A 25mm Gatling gun and 220 rounds, potentially offering a more cost-effective solution for destroying low-category drones.
Limited stockpiles of costly ground-based air defence systems are being depleted as Iran continues to launch ballistic missiles. Patriot missiles are in high demand not only from the US but also from its Arab allies. Bahrain has been targeted by Iranian strikes, with its air defence systems, including Patriot PAC-3s, intercepting and destroying 153 missiles and 331 drones since hostilities began on 28 February. Each interceptor missile costs more than US$4 million, and the US is believed to currently produce only around 700 annually.
At the end of the third week of Operation Epic Fury, the US was preparing to conduct military operations against Iran for at least 100 days, potentially until September. At the same time, the US plans to allocate an additional US$50 billion to replenish the stockpile of weapons used against Iran.
Simultaneously, there are unconfirmed reports that two AN/TPY radars for the THAAD missile defence system may have been destroyed by drones in Jordan and the UAE, and that an AN/FPS-132 over-the-horizon radar in the UAE might also have been hit. Additionally, this country has purchased 50 Pantsir S1 air defence systems from Russia to intercept drones.
By the end of the third week of the US operation, there was no clear indication of how and when it would conclude.
by David Oliver
