Assessing the Air Campaign After Three Weeks: Iran War By the Numbers
Photo: Lee Hathaway
Commentary by Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park
Published March 25, 2026
Remote Visualization
As the war with Iran enters its fourth week, there is an opportunity to look at data on the air campaign to understand what has happened and the combatants’ intentions.
U.S. Strike Campaign: The U.S. strike campaign has settled into a sustainable pace of bombing between 300 and 500 targets per day. U.S. forces also now predominantly use far less expensive, short-range munitions. This “munitions transition” has vastly lowered the daily war costs.
Iranian Launches: Iran’s drone and missile launches declined rapidly after the first four days. While rebounding slightly since, these launches remain far lower than earlier large salvos. The “lingering launch capacity,” however, continues to inflict damage—particularly, to energy facilities.
Interceptions: Some Gulf states report very high interception rates, ranging from 80 to 90 percent. If true, that aligns with the best rates that Ukraine has achieved.
https://www.csis.org/analysis/assessing-air-campaign-after-three-weeks-iran-war-numbers
