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An Air-Campaign Primer

The United States is conducting its first sustained independent air campaign since the 1991 Gulf War, targeting Iran’s integrated air‑defense system, ballistic‑missile sites, and regime command structures. Modern precision‑guided weapons, unmanned aircraft, and space‑based ISR have dramatically increased strike accuracy and situational awareness compared with earlier campaigns. Centralized daily air‑tasking orders enable rapid digital adjustments, while the early neutralization of Iran’s IADS has limited its missile and drone launch capability. Yet the campaign’s strategic impact remains unclear, pending comprehensive bomb‑damage assessments and longer‑term political outcomes.