The F-22 Raptor is a U.S. fifth-generation stealth fighter built for air dominance with supercruise, integrated avionics, and internal weapons carriage. Although designed primarily for air-to-air combat, U.S. Air Force sources document its precision-strike role in Operation Inherent Resolve and its inclusion in the 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer strike package against Iran.
U.S. Air Force F-22s flew Operation Inherent Resolve missions over Syria and Iraq, including 2015 short-notice strikes against Islamic State artillery and fighting positions with small-diameter bombs and GBU-32 JDAMs.
U.S. Air Force material published through CENTCOM identified F-22 Raptors as aircraft used in the strike package that carried out Operation Midnight Hammer against Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025.
F-15E Strike EagleDual-role strike fighterThe F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-seat U.S. Air Force dual-role fighter built for long-range interdiction, precision attack, and self-escorted air-to-air combat. Its conformal fuel tanks, targeting/navigation pods, radar, and two-person cockpit allow it to strike ground targets day or night while retaining fighter performance, a role documented in Operation Inherent Resolve and later U.S.-Iran combat operations.
A-10 Thunderbolt IIClose air support attack aircraftThe A-10 Thunderbolt II is a U.S. single-seat, twin-engine attack aircraft built around close air support, austere operations, survivability, and the 30 mm GAU-8/A cannon. U.S. military sources document A-10C use in Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS and in Afghanistan during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, where its loiter time, precision weapons, and cannon gave commanders a dedicated low-altitude support platform.
F-16 Fighting FalconMultirole fighter aircraftThe F-16 Fighting Falcon is a U.S.-designed single-engine multirole fighter used for air defense, air-to-air combat, suppression support, and precision strike missions. Its recent conflict record includes Ukrainian operation of Western-supplied aircraft in the Russia-Ukraine War, Israeli F-16I strike sorties during Operation Rising Lion, and U.S. F-16 employment in Operation Epic Fury against Iran..jpg?width=480)
F-35 Lightning IIFifth-generation stealth multirole fighterThe F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine stealth fighter family built around sensor fusion, networked targeting, and multirole strike missions. U.S. and Israeli variants have documented post-2015 combat use, including Marine Corps F-35B strikes in Afghanistan, U.S. Air Force F-35A escort and air-defense suppression over Iran, and Israeli F-35I air-to-air combat against Iran.
F-35C Lightning IICarrier-based stealth multirole fighterThe F-35C Lightning II is the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, built for catapult launches and arrested landings with larger wings, folding wingtips, strengthened landing gear, internal fuel for long-range carrier operations, and a sensor suite intended for strike, air-to-air, reconnaissance, and electronic-warfare missions. U.S. Marine Corps F-35Cs made the variant's first documented combat strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in 2024, and an F-35C was later reported shooting down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone near USS Abraham Lincoln in 2026.
EA-18G GrowlerCarrier-capable airborne electronic attack aircraftThe EA-18G Growler is a Boeing-built electronic attack derivative of the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet, fielded to jam, detect, and attack hostile radars, communications, and air-defense networks while retaining missile carriage for suppression missions. U.S. Navy and Australian Growlers provide carrier or land-based electronic warfare support, with recent documented use in Operation Inherent Resolve, Red Sea operations against Houthi forces, and the U.S.-Iran strike context.