Armaments Against ISIS

For more than a year and a half, the U.S. military has conducted a tough and smart campaign to defeat ISIS. It has conducted over 11,000 precision airstrikes and helped take back more than 40% of ISIS’ territory in Iraq. The goal of these activities is to inflict major damage on the enemy, while minimizing loss of civilian lives and property. We often talk about the people involved in our military operations, but not the armaments. To gain a better understanding of how our military works, we have described the main weapons used against ISIS, who makes them, what they cost, and what they are designed to do. While this is not an exhaustive list of all military equipment used in the fight against ISIS, we explain: the primary aircraft being used to strike ISIS, the drones being used, other aircraft conducting electronic warfare and aerial refueling missions, the munitions being dropped on ISIS, and the U.S. ships being used. We hope this gives you a fuller picture of our military efforts.

Airstrikes are the primary means being used by the U.S. military to defeat ISIS. Targeted strikes from manned aircraft have been conducted by U.S. Air Force planes from land bases, like Incirlik air base in Turkey and Al Udeid air base in Qatar, and by Navy planes being launched from aircraft carriers.

F-15E Strike Eagle — [Boeing] - unit cost: $29.9 million

The Air Force’s F-15 Eagle is an extremely maneuverable aircraft designed primarily to dominate air-to-air combat. However, in the fight against ISIS, a specialized version of the F-15 is being used to strike designated targets on the ground.

F-16 C/D Fighting Falcon — [Lockheed Martin] - unit cost: $18.8 million

The Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine, low-cost, multi-role aircraft being used to bomb ISIS. F-16’s are perhaps best known as the aircraft used by the Air Force “Thunderbirds,” which perform aerial acrobatics at air shows in the U.S. and around the world. Like the F-15, the F-16 is used to strike particular targets like ISIS training camps or oil convoys.

F-22 Raptor — [Lockheed Martin/Boeing] - unit cost: $143 million

The Air Force’s F-22 Raptor is the Air Force's newest fighter aircraft, and currently the most capable in the world. It is designed to guarantee U.S. air superiority by eliminating adversaries’ fighters and air defense systems, but has also been used to strike ISIS targets in Syria.

B1-B Lancer— [Rockwell/Boeing] - unit cost: $317 million

The B-1 bomber is the core of America’s long-range bomber force originally designed for the Cold War to be able to strike targets deep inside the Soviet Union. It can carry the largest payload of weapons in the Air Force. Since August 2014, these planes have been used to deliver massive quantities of precision weapons on ISIS targets, but in March were replaced in theater by B-52’s.

B-52 Stratofortress – [Boeing] – unit cost: $84 million

The B-52 Stratofortress has been the workhorse of Air Force bombers for more than 40 years. It can launch the widest array of weapons of any Air Force aircraft. In March, the Air Force announced that B-52’s were being sent to Qatar to replace B-1’s for bombing runs against ISIS targets.

F/A-18 Super Hornet — [Boeing] - unit cost: $29 million

The U.S. Navy’s F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets are highly capable, twin-engine, multi-mission aircraft launched from Navy aircraft carriers. They are capable of dominating air-to-air combat, conducting air-to-ground strikes on ISIS targets, and providing close air support for troops on the ground. The F/A-18s are a more advanced replacement to the now-retired Navy F-14s, and are the core of the Navy fighter aircraft fleet.

Unmanned aircraft, or drones, are being used extensively in the fight against ISIS, as well as to track and eliminate terrorist threats in other parts of the world. Their ability to stay in the air much longer than manned aircraft allows them to track terrorists and gather intelligence to improve the effectiveness of airstrikes and reduce civilian casualties.

MQ-1 Predators — [General Atomics] - unit cost: $5 million

General Atomics MQ-1 Predators are being used extensively against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. Predators are armed, remotely piloted aircraft that have extremely long loiter times allowing them to monitor potential targets for extended periods, which increases intelligence collection, surveillance, and reconnaissance to improve the effectiveness of U.S. military strikes on ISIS targets.

MQ-9 Reapers — [General Atomics] - unit cost: $16 million

The MQ-9 Reaper is a larger, more advanced version of the Predator, and is equipped to conduct intelligence surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike missions. Its larger size allows it to fly farther—and with more weapons and sensors—than the Predator, making the Reaper an ideal platform for tracking and eliminating high-value ISIS targets.

Electronic warfare aircraft are being used to disrupt ISIS communications and defend U.S. aircraft and ground forces from electronic threats posed by ISIS.

EA-6B Prowler — [Northrop Grumman] - unit cost: $52 million

The Navy’s EA-6B Prowlers are designed primarily to engage in electronic warfare. They are being used to collect and disrupt ISIS communications, jam detonators for ISIS bombs, and defend coalition aircraft against air defenses—whether operated by ISIS or the Syrian government.

Close air support aircraft are being used to support ground forces during firefights and to strike ISIS targets at much closer range than the manned and unmanned aircraft previously mentioned.

AV-8B Harrier — [Boeing] - unit cost: $22.4 million

The Navy’s AV-8B Harriers are unique aircraft capable of takeoffs on very short runways and landing vertically, like a helicopter. Often launched from aircraft carriers, Harriers are capable of providing close air support to Marines and other troops on the ground, as well as reconnaissance and air-to-air capabilities. These special aircraft began conducting airstrikes against ISIS in August 2015.

A-10 Thunderbolt — [Fairchild Republic] - unit cost: $18.8 million

The Air Force’s A-10 Thunderbolt—commonly known as the Warthog—is arguably the most effective aircraft for providing close air support to troops on the ground, while also being able to strike ISIS with precision munitions. It is able to fly low and slow over the battlefield for extended periods, even in bad weather. It can also take off and land on short, rugged runways, permitting it to operate close to the front-lines. The Warthog is highly survivable and designed to take repeated hits from enemy fire without losing its ability to support friendly forces in the fight against ISIS.

AH-64D/E Apache Helicopter — [Lockheed Martin] - unit cost: $35.5 million

The Army’s Apache attack helicopters, like the A-10, are ideally suited for close air support missions given their ability to linger over a firefight, and have been used to protect U.S. troops and support local forces fighting ISIS.

AC-130 Spooky — [Boeing] - unit cost: $35.5 million

The AC-130 “Spooky” gunships are being used for reconnaissance, strikes, and close air support against ISIS targets. They’ve proven particularly effective in destroying ISIS fuel trucks. For example, in November 2015, AC-130s along with Warthogs destroyed 116 fuel trucks in a single attack.

KC-135 Stratotanker — [Boeing] - unit cost: $39.6 million

The KC-135 Stratotanker is a critical asset in the war against ISIS. With its ability to refuel other aircraft in mid-flight, the KC-135 provides U.S. and coalition forces with tremendous flexibility. It allows U.S. fighters to hit ISIS targets from faraway bases, while also giving aircraft the fuel they need to loiter over an area for hours and carefully scrutinize their targets, minimizing collateral damage.

The U.S. has dropped more than 20,000 precision bombs and missiles on ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. Many munitions are guided to their target through lasers or GPS coordinates. Some of the most commonly used include:

GBU-12 Laser Guided Bomb — [Lockheed Martin] - unit cost: $30,000

AGM-65 Maverick Missile — [Raytheon] - unit cost: $100,000

Tomahawk Missiles — [Raytheon] - unit cost: $1.1 million

AGM-114 Hellfire Missiles — [Lockheed Martin] - unit cost: $110,000

AGM-176 Griffin Missiles — [Raytheon] - unit cost: $90,000

Aircraft Carriers — [Huntington Ingalls] - unit cost: $8.5 billion

The U.S. Navy operates ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. At over 1,000 feet long, some of these floating airfields have been instrumental in the air campaign against ISIS, launching multiple varieties of fighters, electronic warfare aircraft, surveillance planes, and helicopters from off-shore, allowing the U.S. to create sovereign airfields in international waters.

Arleigh-Burke Destroyers — [Bath Iron Works/Huntington Ingalls] - unit cost: $1.9 billion

DDG-51 destroyers are the Navy’s main battleship used to defend aircraft carriers and other ships from enemy attacks as well as to ensure that sea lanes remain open. They have advanced radar to detect missile threats, and are used for anti-submarine warfare. But in the fight against ISIS, they have been used primarily to launch long-range cruise missiles against ISIS targets.

Guided Missile Cruisers — [Huntington Ingalls] - unit cost: $1 billion

Built near the end of the Cold War, cruisers were designed to confront the Soviet Union. Against ISIS, the Navy’s Ticonderoga class cruisers fulfill a similar mission to Navy destroyers: launching cruise missiles against ISIS targets.