"For a generation, US policymakers and military planners have taken air superiority as a starting condition of war. No adversary, not since Korea or Vietnam, has had the capacity to challenge US warplanes for control of the skies."
"Operation Epic Fury, however, has challenged that assumption, marking the first time in a generation the US has been forced to establish air superiority."
"Iran offered the US a different kind of challenge. Tehran, long hampered by sanctions, understanding they could never achieve parity with the US, didn't try to build an equivalent air force."
For thirty years, the US has assumed uncontested air superiority in conflicts. Operation Epic Fury marked a shift, as the US had to establish air superiority over Iran. This operation required a complex, multi-layered effort, contrasting with previous quick victories. Historically, adversaries lacked the capability to challenge US air power, relying on outdated or minimal defenses. Iran, constrained by sanctions, opted not to build a comparable air force, presenting a unique challenge for US forces in achieving air dominance.
Read at The Cipher Brief
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