Centcom and the oldest bomber: a night of strikes, video, and the weight of “control the skies”
In the early hours of Operation Epic Fury, centcom language about “control the skies” collided with the metal reality of aircraft launched into another round of strikes. Video released this week showed U. S. forces searching for mobile missile launch capabilities, while U. S. officials described long-range attacks deep inside Iran and an expanding roster of bombers used in the campaign.
What did Centcom say about “control the skies” in Operation Epic Fury?
U. S. Central Command said Thursday that American forces “control the skies by launching from the sea, ” releasing new video showing efforts “to eliminate the Iranian regime’s mobile missile launch capabilities. ” The command added that the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group continues “around-the-clock operations” in support of Operation Epic Fury.
The Pentagon also released new video highlighting what it described as the overwhelming power of the U. S. military during the first “100 hours” of the operation. In that messaging, the emphasis stayed fixed on two ideas: sustained tempo, and the claim that forces are finding and destroying mobile missile launch capabilities with “lethal precision. ”
How did the B-52 become part of the strikes on Iran?
U. S. forces have hit 2, 000 targets in Iran since the opening salvos of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, adding the B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress bombers to the air attacks, U. S. Central Command reported Tuesday morning. The B-52 first flew in 1952, and its reappearance in a new theater underscored a central feature of this operation: the mix of long-standing platforms with current mission demands.
As of Sunday night, U. S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers conducted long-range strikes deep inside Iran. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters Monday at the Pentagon that the strikes targeted ballistic missile facilities and command-and-control infrastructure, and that they resulted in “the establishment of local air superiority. ”
“This air superiority will not only enhance the protection of our forces but also allow them to continue the work over Iran, ” Caine said.
On Tuesday, U. S. Central Command confirmed on X that an armada of B-52s was used in a strike against “ballistic missile and commander control posts. ” The B-52H is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50, 000 feet and can carry nuclear or precision-guided conventional ordnance, with a payload of approximately 70, 000 pounds of mixed ordnance, based on U. S. Air Force specifications referenced in the same account of the aircraft.
What do officials say the strikes are targeting—and what does that mean on the ground?
Across briefings and command statements, the targets described have centered on ballistic missile facilities, command-and-control infrastructure, and mobile missile launch capabilities. The vocabulary is technical, but its implications are concrete: the campaign is being defined publicly as a hunt for systems that move, hide, and relay orders.
In Washington, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared alongside Caine during a Pentagon press briefing on Operation Epic Fury. Caine said that to date, the U. S. has hit over 2, 000 total targets across Iran and destroyed more than 20 of the Islamic Republic’s naval vessels. The numbers, repeated at the podium, function as a running ledger of scale.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force announced Thursday that the Israel Defense Forces had identified missiles launched from Iran toward Israel, saying defense systems were operating to intercept the threat. The Home Front Command issued directives sent to mobile phones in relevant areas, urging the public to enter protected spaces when alerted and to remain there until further instruction, stressing that directives “save lives. ”
Who is making decisions now, and what responses are being organized?
Hegseth is headed to U. S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday to meet with Commander Admiral Brad Cooper for updates on Operation Epic Fury. The trip came as the Pentagon identified the suspected identities of the remaining two American troops killed in Kuwait. The White House confirmed that President Donald Trump will attend the dignified transfer of six fallen U. S. service members.
At the White House on Thursday, Trump said the U. S. military is continuing to “totally demolish” Iranian forces as the operation entered its seventh day. He described progress as ahead of schedule and “at levels that people have never seen before, ” and said that 24 ships had been taken out in three days as part of the sweeping operation against the Iranian regime.
Trump is scheduled to meet with defense contractors at the White House on Friday. The meeting follows comments from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday that the U. S. weapons stockpile has “more than enough capability to not only successfully execute Operation Epic Fury, but to go much further. ”
What comes next for Operation Epic Fury—and what remains unresolved?
Public statements describe a campaign expanding in tempo and toolset, including sea-launched operations, long-range bomber strikes, and a declared focus on missile systems and command nodes. Yet the human texture of the moment is visible in the same updates: phone alerts instructing civilians when to take cover, and official travel that places senior leaders in command centers while families await dignified transfers.
In that tension—between polished video of strikes and the blunt logistics of loss—the phrase “control the skies” is doing heavy work. It is both a claim about battlefield conditions and a promise of protection for forces still operating. As Operation Epic Fury continues, centcom messaging will remain a key signal of how the operation is being framed, what it is prioritizing, and how its next phase is presented to the public.
