Morning Wire Into the Danger Zone: TOPGUN Instructor Breaks Down the U.S. Strike on Iran
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Mar 7, 2026 
David Berke, retired Marine fighter pilot and former TOPGUN instructor, brings frontline naval aviation perspective. He breaks down the scale and coordination of a massive strike on Iran. He explains long bomber missions, air supremacy versus Iranian defenses, and how pilots train to manage fear and survive under fire.
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Scale And Familiarity Of Operation Epic Fury
- Operation Epic Fury was a large, coordinated air-centric campaign involving hundreds of sorties and close US-Israel coordination.
- David Berke compared it to 2001 Afghanistan and 2003 Iraq scale missions, emphasizing nonstop long-duration flights and complex planning.
Unique Long Range Bomber Reach
- The US can execute ultra-long bomber missions like 18–19 hour B-2 flights with multiple air refuels.
- Berke highlighted Whiteman B-2s flying to Iran and back with five or six refuels, a unique US capability.
Survival After Friendly Fire On F-15s
- Three F-15s were lost in a friendly fire incident but all six aircrew survived and walked away.
- Berke called it dramatic and a vivid example of how tiny errors in complex air combat can have catastrophic consequences.