The conflict continues to this day: What new equipment have the US, Israel, and Iran used?

The conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran is not only a reversal of offense and defense and a strategic game, but also a series of real equipment confrontations and tactical clashes. Let's take a look at some noteworthy special events and weaponry.

On March 4, a U.S. submarine sank the Iranian Navy frigate "Dena" using torpedoes, resulting in the deaths of 104 Iranian personnel and 32 injuries. At the time, the "Dena" frigate had just completed an international naval exercise organized by India and was attacked without warning while returning in waters south of Sri Lanka.

Since World War II, the use of submarines to launch torpedoes in actual combat has been rare. On March 17, the U.S. military also employed another powerful weapon, the GBU-72 heavy penetrator bomb, which weighs nearly 2.3 tons. This penetrator bomb was first used in 2021 and can be dropped by F-15E fighter jets. It uses a combination of GPS and inertial guidance, equipped with a programmable fuse, primarily designed to destroy hardened shelters and underground facilities. The U.S. military used multiple such bombs to strike Iranian missile positions along the coast of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's new weaponry has also been intensively showcased in actual combat. The "Fattah-2" hypersonic missile has strong terminal maneuverability; the "Khoramshahr-4" missile has a range of up to 2,000 kilometers and a warhead weighing 1.5 tons, demonstrating significant power; the "Muds" ballistic missile has a fast response time, high accuracy, and great power. On March 20, Iran announced the use of missiles with a range of 4,000 kilometers to strike the U.S.-UK joint military base on Diego Garcia Island in the central Indian Ocean. Although neither missile hit its target, this action signifies that Iran's military influence extends far beyond the Middle East.

Under the joint counterattack of Iranian missiles and drones, the interception effectiveness of the U.S.-made "Patriot" and "THAAD" air defense systems in the Middle East has not been satisfactory, with several radars destroyed and even instances of losing three "THAAD" systems in one day.

Iran's air defense system is also not as weak as the U.S. and Israel imagine. On March 19, Iran released a video showing the successful interception of a U.S. F-35 fighter jet. On the same day, the U.S. military also acknowledged that an F-35 was suspected to have been hit by Iranian fire and made an emergency landing at a U.S. airbase in the Middle East. This marks the first time an F-35 has been hit in actual combat since its introduction. On the 25th, Iran announced that it had shot down a U.S. F-18 fighter jet in its airspace, causing it to crash into the Indian Ocean.