In a desperate bid for revenge following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the recent Israeli strike on Tehran, Iran launched a má´€ssive wave of 40 fighter jets toward US and allied positions in the Arabian Sea and Gulf region on March 14, 2026.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Air Force scrambled its best available Su-35s, MiG-29s, and aging F-14 Tomcats in what Tehran called a “historic vengeance mission.” Iranian state media claimed the jets were heading to “strike American carriers and avenge the blood of the Leader.”
What happened next was a slaughter in the sky.
US and Israeli intelligence had tracked the launch from the moment the Iranian jets left their bases. Stealth F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightning IIs from the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike groups were already airborne and waiting in perfect ambush positions.
Within minutes, the advanced American fighters — virtually invisible to Iranian radar — engaged with devastating effect. AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles tore through the Iranian formation from beyond visual range. US Navy pilots reported “clean kills” as Iranian jets began falling from the sky in flames. Multiple sources confirm at least 28 Iranian aircraft were destroyed in the first wave, with several more damaged and forced to retreat.
The carriers remain untouched and dominant.
Despite Iran’s loud claims of “breaking through,” both the USS Abraham Lincoln and the newly arrived USS Gerald R. Ford continue full combat operations under Operation Epic Fury. F-35C stealth fighters are still launching around the clock, while the dual-carrier presence projects unmatched American air superiority across the region.
This failed Iranian air offensive comes after weeks of humiliating setbacks: repeated failed missile barrages against the Abraham Lincoln, the destruction of IRGC headquarters in Tehran, Israeli strikes into the heart of the capital, and the collapse of Hezbollah’s rocket campaign from Lebanon.
With Khamenei gone and Iran’s command structure in disarray, the regime appears to be throwing everything it has left into increasingly suicidal attacks. Gulf nations, firmly united against Tehran, condemned the reckless use of airpower that further endangers regional stability.
The message from the US-led coalition is clear and merciless: Iran’s attempts at revenge will only accelerate its defeat. American stealth technology, pilot training, and naval power remain generations ahead. Every jet Iran sends up is met by superior force already in position.
The skies over the Arabian Sea now belong to America.
