Standout combat and weapons firsts in the war with Iran

The US war with Iran has produced a string of combat and weapons firsts. Operation Epic Fury began with massive joint US–Israel strikes that have killed dozens of Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and struck more than 2,000 targets across the country.

Early in the campaign the Scorpion Strike task force used one-way attack drones in combat for the first time, deploying the Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS), a SpektreWorks design based on Iranian Shaheds and costing roughly $35,000 apiece. The fight also saw the combat debut of Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile, fired from HIMARS and estimated to cost about $1.6 million each; Adm.

Brad Cooper called the PrSM’s use "a historic first." The conflict has produced notable aerial and maritime milestones. An Israeli F-35I Adir shot down an Iranian Yak-130 over Tehran, marking the stealth fighter’s first shootdown of a manned fighter aircraft, while British RAF F-35s recorded their first combat kills against drones.

Iran, Tehran

epic fury, ayatollah khamenei, scorpion strike, lucas, spektreworks, shaheds, prsm, himars, f-35i adir, yak-130