The US Air Force's F-22 Raptor demonstrated its most intensive combat employment during Operation Epic Fury, striking key targets across Iran.

Operating from undisclosed bases, Raptors executed precision missions against Iranian air defenses, nuclear-related infrastructure and command nodes linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

On March 1, F-22s opened the campaign by suppressing S-300 and Bavar-373 batteries, clearing corridors for follow-on coalition strike aircraft entering defended airspace.

Between March 1 and 9, the stealth fighters flew more than 200 combat sorties while remaining undetected by Iranian radar networks throughout the operation.

Stealth fighters penetrate Iran's air defenses

F-22 Raptor used its low-observable design and advanced sensors to penetrate defended airspace and deliver precision weapons against strategic Iranian regime facilities during the campaign.

Targets reportedly included infrastructure connected to the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and Natanz Nuclear Facility.

Both are central to Iran's uranium enrichment program and heavily protected by layered air defenses.

Raptors employed GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs and GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions internally, preserving stealth while striking multiple hardened targets with precision guidance.

The aircraft also coordinated with B-2 Spirit bombers and EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets in layered strike packages designed to overwhelm Iran's integrated air defenses.

The regime's forces launched dozens of surface-to-air missiles during the nine-day campaign, US officials said none were successfully tracked or locked onto the stealth fighters.

Combat performance reinforces raptor's dominance

Beyond its strike role, the F-22 Raptor remains widely regarded as the world's premier air superiority fighter, combining stealth, speed and advanced sensor fusion.

Air Force assessments credit the aircraft with a 144-to-0 kill ratio in training exercises and far greater effectiveness than the F-15C Eagle in beyond-visual-range combat.

During the Northern Edge 2006 exercise, a small group of Raptors defeated large opposing air forces without suffering a single simulated loss in repeated engagements.

The aircraft can exceed Mach 2 with afterburner and supercruise above Mach 1.5 without afterburners, enabling rapid ingress, strike and exit from hostile airspace.

Twin engines generate more than 70,000 pounds of combined thrust, while thrust-vectoring nozzles allow extreme maneuverability during close-range aerial combat situations.

For air-to-air missions, the fighter carries six AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, two AIM-9X Sidewinder weapons and a M61A2 Vulcan cannon mounted internally to preserve stealth performance.

Strike configurations replace some missiles with precision bombs, allowing the Raptor to attack ground targets while retaining its low radar cross-section.

Analysts say the aircraft's combination of stealth, sensors and speed compresses enemy reaction times and significantly complicates traditional air defense tactics.

Operation Epic Fury, therefore, provided a rare real-world test of the Raptor's capabilities against sophisticated integrated air defense systems in combat.

US officials say the results reinforced the aircraft's value as a penetrating strike fighter capable of establishing air dominance early in major conflicts.

As development of the Next Generation Air Dominance program continues, Operation Epic Fury proved that the F-22 still delivers decisive combat power in contested airspace.