U.S. Air Force personnel faced 1,200 red alerts during Iran’s missile and drone attacks. U.S. Air Force Commander General Kenneth Wilsbach gave the figure while speaking about Operation Epic Fury at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference.
Wilsbach said the operation’s fleet of about 500 aircraft flew 10,000 sorties, with the daily flight tempo maintained at more than 250 sorties. He also said more than 13,000 military targets were struck during combat missions.
Wilsbach said the operation would be examined for its scale, precision and speed, and argued that it had weakened Iran’s positions.
Wilsbach said U.S. bases in the Middle East also came under retaliatory missile and drone attacks. He said the attacks largely depleted interceptor missile stocks and caused operational damage.
Wilsbach said strategic competition was intensifying and the nature of war continued to change. He added that a new generation of Americans was assuming responsibility and taking on missions knowing that the world had not become safer.
How are red alerts declared?
In the U.S. Air Force, a red alert is declared with a wailing siren for an air attack, a horn signal for a ground attack and an announcement over the public-address system.
An alert means that an attack is imminent or underway. Personnel are then instructed to immediately move to a hardened shelter.