Good morning. Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was injured early in the war, three Iranian officials told The Times, which could partly explain why he hasn’t been seen since his appointment was announced three days ago. The war has also damaged some of Iran’s most cherished cultural treasures: a mosque and palaces that have stood for centuries. And Iran’s capital faced intense shelling yesterday. “It seems they are striking everywhere: homes, schools, mosques, hospitals,” one Iranian told The Times. “If they keep hitting Tehran like this for another 10 days,” he added, “nothing will remain.” Each party in this conflict has a slightly different strategy. For the United States and Israel, it’s about overwhelming military force. Iran’s strategy is to saturate the enemy with low-cost drones and missiles and exhaust its resources. Israel and countries of the Persian Gulf are trying to defend against those salvos. How are nations waging this war? I asked John Ismay, who served for years in the U.S. Navy as a bomb disposal technician and gunnery officer, to explain.
Weapons of war
The war on Iran is being fought not on the ground but in the sky. Here is a guide to the primary weapons each nation is using to achieve its objectives. The United States and IsraelThey opened this war by moving two Navy aircraft carriers — along with dozens of Air Force fighters, bombers and refueling planes — into the region. Three destroyers escort each carrier, armed with a variety of offensive and defensive missiles. When the war commenced, the first wave of the bombardment used weapons, like the AGM-154 glide bomb, that could be launched far beyond the reach of Iran’s defenses.
What it does: When a glide bomb is dropped from a plane like an F/A-18 Super Hornet, the munition’s wings swing out, providing lift for a long, quiet flight to its target. Rotating tail fins use GPS to steer the bomb. Some models can hit moving targets. How far it goes: More than 80 miles. How it’s used: One variant is a cluster weapon that blankets enemy air-defense sites with bomblets. Another version contains a warhead with the equivalent of about 200 pounds of TNT. Who makes it: Raytheon. How much it costs: $578,000 to $836,000. How many the U.S. has: The Navy bought 3,000 of them nearly two decades ago. Now the Defense Department says the military has destroyed Iran’s air defense and will switch to using far less expensive “general purpose” bombs that are dropped much closer to their targets. They come in three sizes: 500, 1,000 and 2,000 pounds.
What it does: It falls down and blows things up. It is guided by GPS signals and can be programmed to explode just above its target or on impact. How far it goes: Depending on the altitude of the aircraft that drops it, this weapon can travel up to 15 miles. How it’s used: Of the three sizes of warheads available, the 500-pound version is most commonly used. Designed to work in all kinds of weather and cost about half the price of laser-guided bombs, the Joint Direct Attack Munition became the Pentagon’s go-to tool for airstrikes during the post-Sept. 11 wars. These bombs land within about 30 feet of their targets with roughly 200 pounds of explosives. Who makes it: Paligen Technologies and Boeing. How much it costs: The warhead costs about $1,000, and the guidance kit runs about $38,000. How many the U.S. has: Likely hundreds of thousands. IranCommanders there are fighting back with missiles and drones across the region. They don’t have much in the way of air defenses or an air force anymore. Their main offensive weapons are medium-range ballistic missiles like the Shahab-3.
What it does: It launches from the ground and flies up to 250 miles above the Earth’s surface, where there’s less aerodynamic drag. Then it arcs down and falls toward its target. How far it goes: More than 1,200 miles. How it’s used: These missiles have aimed at cities in Israel and infrastructure across the Gulf — refineries, air-defense radars and military buildings. The Shahab-3 is believed to be accurate to roughly 150 feet and carries a 1,500-pound warhead. Who makes it: Iran’s Aviation Industries Organization. It’s based on North Korea’s Nodong missile. How much it costs: Unknown. How many Iran has: Unknown, but U.S. intelligence agencies say Iran’s arsenal of medium-range ballistic missiles is “substantial.” To avoid the countermeasures that intercept and destroy their missiles, Iranians also use drones. The main one is the Shahed-136.
What it does: It’s essentially a crudely made, propeller-driven cruise missile. How far it goes: Up to 1,500 miles. How it’s used: The Shahed-136 is slow (about 115 miles per hour), but it flies at a low altitude, making it difficult to spot by radar. The drone uses GPS to find its target, and the 90-pound warhead explodes on impact. Who makes it: Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Company. How much it costs: $35,000, analysts think. How many Iran has: Likely thousands. After a Tomahawk missile destroyed a girls’ school in southern Iran and killed dozens of students, President Trump said the weapon may have been Iran’s. But only a few nations possess the Tomahawk, and the Islamic Republic is not known to be one of them. Persian Gulf nations and IsraelThese countries are on the receiving end of Iran’s retaliatory strikes, so they’ve been working to shoot down drones — the tech for this is evolving rapidly — and missiles. Their most reliable tool is the Patriot system.
What it does and how it works: A Patriot battery consists of a control van and one or more missile launchers and radars. When the radar spots an incoming threat, soldiers make the decision to shoot or not, based on where it’s heading. What it defends against: The Patriot can shoot down planes, helicopters and missiles up to an altitude of 80,000 feet. There are three different Patriot missiles for different kinds of targets. (You don’t use the same weapon to strike a slow-flying aircraft and a ballistic missile moving at five times the speed of sound.) How it’s used: Patriots create a bubble of protection — up to 100 miles in any direction — around high-value locations such as government buildings, military sites and power plants. Who makes it: Raytheon. How much it costs: $2 million to $4 million per missile. Who has them: In the Middle East region, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. To account for attacks from Hamas and Iran, Israel developed the most robust air-defense network in the Middle East — much of it designed and made domestically. The Pentagon even purchased one Israeli system, called Iron Dome, for its own use. More on the war
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Artificial intelligence is already writing romance novels, academic papers and software applications. And while some people doubt that A.I. can take on creative work, several recent studies suggest that, in blind tests, many prefer A.I.-generated writing to human-authored works. A new quiz by Kevin Roose and Stuart A. Thompson puts that to the test. They asked A.I. to find examples of strong human writing, in a range of styles and genres, and then to craft its own version using its own voice. In the quiz, you’ll choose which you prefer, and then learn whether a person or a machine wrote it. Start with the example below:
Which do you prefer?
If Trump wants to ensure Americans have cheap energy, even during times of war in the Middle East, he should embrace renewable sources, Natasha Sarin writes. Here is a column by Bret Stephens on four ways the war in Iran could end. Morning readers: Save on the complete Times experience. Experience all of The Times, all in one subscription — all with this introductory offer. You’ll gain unlimited access to news and analysis, plus games, recipes, product reviews and more.
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