BLUF
The article argues that Operation Epic Fury exposed a weakness in traditional airpower: achieving air superiority and destroying Iranian assets has not stopped low-cost drones and missiles from disrupting Strait of Hormuz shipping.Learning Outcomes
- Analyse the limitations of traditional air superiority concepts by evaluating why achieving dominance in high-altitude airspace did not prevent Iranian drones and missiles from disrupting operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Explain the concept of the ‘air littoral’ and assess its significance as the contested low-altitude operating environment where air, maritime, and land domains interact.
- Evaluate the impact of emerging technologies such as low-cost drones, precision-guided munitions, and autonomous systems on modern airpower doctrine and force design.
