One of the coolest things I ever saw in my admittedly modest military career was at an airfield in Saudi Arabia, in January of 1991. As I understood it, the Air Force was regularly engaged in hunting the big Iraqi Scud-launchers, which could park, set up, toss a cheap old missile downrange, and scoot pretty quickly. So a certain amount of celerity was in order, and the F-16 seemed perfect for the purpose. On the day in question, two of the Fighting Falcons were scrambled to go after a launcher, and I got to see them, loaded with fuel tanks and smart weapons, go roaring down the runway, turn, and go straight up. Combat takeoff, baby!
The F-16 is an amazing bird; originally a Cold War design, the F-16s have been upgraded a lot since, and they are in the skies over Iran now - carrying an amazing array of weapons, targeting systems, communications systems, and jamming pods. We seem to have weapons and electronics for every conceivable purpose, as Iran is learning to their sorrow.
This article described just a few of those systems.
U.S. Air Force F-16s currently deployed in support of Operation Epic Fury have been shown in official photos carrying the AGM-158 Joint-Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) while departing for missions over Iran. The images, captured on Mar. 29, 2026, were uploaded on the DVIDS network on Apr. 4.
The images showed two F-16CM Block 52s from the South Carolina Air National Guard’s (SCANG) 169th Fighter Wing, as identified by the “South Carolina” and “Swamp Foxes” markings emblazoned on their vertical stabilizers. The aircraft were flying with two AGM-158s JASSMs, one on each wing.
Additionally, the payload included two AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile, two AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), an Angry Kitten Electronic Warfare (EW) pod on the centerline, a Litening targeting pod, and High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile Targeting System (HTS) pod.
Here, enjoy some photos of the various loadouts:
Just noticed that all 12 SCANG Block 52 Vipers transiting LPLA were carrying Angry Kitten EA/EW pods en route to the Middle East. Fairly noteworthy for a lot of reasons. Can't ever recall seeing EKs on jets potentially heading into ops, likely the first instance? 📸 Kurt Mendonça pic.twitter.com/JQWZlCN31A
— Abd (@blocksixtynine) February 19, 2026
Aviano Vipers supporting Iran Ops loaded with 4x CBU/SFWs each. Again, this could be the CBU-89/B GATOR if not a different sensor fuzed variant. https://t.co/Tnhdg0zuGL pic.twitter.com/sKo6L6g6b9
— Abd (@blocksixtynine) April 3, 2026
SCANG Wild Weasels lugging JASSMs and Angry Kittens in support of Epic Fury. Once again circling back to just how quintessentially multirole the F-16 is. The best to ever do it. Even more ridiculous that a fighter can look this good carrying so much hurt on any given day. https://t.co/VlEXq9IozQ pic.twitter.com/VUetBzRLxx
— Abd (@blocksixtynine) April 4, 2026
That, right there, is a world of hurt coming down on Iranian forces, and that's for sure and for certain.
Read More: Have a Look at the New F-22 Raptor 2.0
Angry Kittens? F-16 Falcons Bound for Middle East Are Now Bearing Some Interesting Hardware
This is why we're winning. The Iranian Air Force, at least back when they had one, was mostly using Cold War-era equipment. Most of it was junk. Most of their aircraft were hangar queens. By day two of Operation Epic Fury, the few surviving Iranian pilots were looking at their aircraft and seeing coffins.
Now, we're flying a lot of Cold War-era stuff ourselves. There are two big differences: First, our equipment has been continually upgraded with new electronics, new engines, new everything. Second, our equipment works. We're flying old, slow A-10s with near-impunity in Iranian airspace, playing the grunt's favorite air-support song: BRRRRT. We have B-52s overhead, the Big, Ugly, Fat Fellows, who are better than anything else in the air when you have a square mile or so of countryside that you need destroyed right now. We have B-1Bs transiting Iranian airspace like greased lightning, leaving chaos and destruction in their wake.
And we have F-16 Falcons, carrying amazing weapons, sensors, and countermeasures packages, tailored for every specific mission where you need some stuff blown up and some bad guys reduced to fertilizer.
Our aircraft even have cooler-sounding names than those of the bad guys: Warthog. Stratofortress. Raptor. Eagle. Falcon. And while the B-1 is called the Lancer, which is still pretty cool, I understand the aircrews call it the Bone, which is even cooler. So our guys in the skies are not only more badass than the opposition, they get to look and sound like badasses while they are at work.
This is why we're winning this thing. The skies are ours. We have better equipment, and more of it - and more to the point, we have more gas and more ammo. If Operation Epic Fury is proving anything, it's proving that tech is a great force multiplier, and tech is what we are good at. War is still unpredictable and not without risk. They still have stuff to toss at our people, and at their neighbors. But I'm reminded of something reportedly said by Ulysses S. Grant, after the Army of the Potomac got outfoxed by Lee's Army of Northern Virginia: "It doesn't matter," General Grant supposedly said. "Even if he wins, he loses. He can't keep winning with what he has left."
The Iranians never won anything. And they have to be approaching the point where they can't even keep surviving with what they have left. Not with the Swamp Foxes overhead, on the hunt.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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