U.S. Space Force Reveals for First Time Electronic Warfare Weapon Used Against Iran.

The U.S. Space Force used an unidentified electronic warfare weapon during Operation Epic Fury to deliver target-specific non-kinetic effects against Iran, Chief of Space Operations General Douglas Schiess said. The engagement marks a direct Space Force combat role in a high-intensity strike campaign, showing how electromagnetic warfare can affect designated targets without using conventional munitions.

A Guardian from the 42nd Electronic Warfare Detachment reconfigured the system, locked onto the assigned target, and conducted the mission while incoming missiles threatened her position. The episode highlights the growing battlefield value of rapidly adaptable electronic warfare for disrupting enemy systems, protecting deployed forces, and expanding commanders’ options during contested operations.

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U.S. Space Force Guardians assigned to the 42nd Electromagnetic Warfare Combat Detachment operate in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The Space Force has not identified the weapon system employed by the detachment during Operation Epic Fury. (U.S. Air Force photo)

The U.S. Space Force disclosed the mission on September 16, 2026, following General Schiess’s remarks at the Air, Space & Cyber Conference. He said Space Force capabilities were part of the Joint Force’s “minimum force package” for Epic Fury, indicating that commanders considered space and electromagnetic warfare capabilities necessary to execute the campaign rather than simply additional support. Operation Epic Fury began on February 28, 2026, as a U.S.-led campaign of strikes against targets in Iran, with U.S. Central Command identifying command-and-control facilities, air defenses, ballistic missile and drone infrastructure, military airfields and other military assets among the target sets. The campaign quickly expanded into a large-scale air and missile operation involving combat aircraft, bombers, electronic warfare aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile defenses, warships and other U.S. capabilities, while American forces also defended regional bases and operating locations against Iranian missile and drone attacks.

Against that background, Schiess provided an unusually specific account of how a Space Force electronic warfare unit contributed directly to combat operations. Specialist Gray, a Guardian assigned to the 42nd Electronic Warfare Detachment, deployed to the CENTCOM area of responsibility and received a priority target package within hours of Epic Fury beginning. According to Schiess, she then reconfigured her weapon system for the mission, locked onto the assigned target, and conducted electromagnetic warfare against the adversary. The sequence matters because it reveals a complete targeting-to-effects chain involving a Space Force combat unit: intelligence personnel identified and characterized a priority target, operational personnel received the targeting package, the weapon was adapted for that assignment, and the Guardian generated the required electromagnetic effect.

The U.S. Space Force has not identified the weapon system Gray employed, the target she engaged, or the exact electromagnetic effect produced. There is therefore no confirmed basis for determining whether the target was terrestrial, airborne or space-based, or for linking the engagement to any specific Space Force electronic warfare system. That limitation matters because the service operates and is developing several capabilities related to electromagnetic warfare and space control, but Schiess’s remarks confirm only how the mission was executed, not which equipment generated the effect. The term “non-kinetic fires” generally refers to military effects that do not rely primarily on explosive or physical destruction, and in an electromagnetic warfare context can include disrupting, degrading, deceiving, or denying an adversary’s use of the electromagnetic spectrum, potentially affecting communications, sensors, command networks, or other electronically dependent military functions. The Space Force has not said which of those effects were achieved during the Epic Fury engagement.

The ability to rapidly reconfigure a weapon after receiving a priority target package is nevertheless operationally important because electronic targets can change frequencies, waveforms, transmission characteristics, and operating procedures, requiring equally rapid adaptation from the attacking force. The effectiveness of an electronic warfare weapon depends not only on transmitter power, antenna characteristics or range, but also on how quickly current intelligence can be translated into a configuration capable of producing the desired effect against a changing target. Against an adaptive adversary, a slow targeting and reprogramming process can allow communications networks, radar systems or other electronically dependent assets to alter frequencies, relocate or change operating patterns before an attack is completed.

The circumstances of Gray’s mission also highlight the physical vulnerability of forward-deployed Space Force personnel. General Schiess said incoming missiles targeted her site while she continued conducting the electromagnetic warfare mission, meaning the Guardian and the weapon system operated inside a contested combat environment rather than from a protected installation in the United States. That threat environment reflected the broader character of Operation Epic Fury, during which U.S. forces conducted offensive strikes while simultaneously defending bases and military positions against Iranian missile and drone attacks. For Space Force electronic warfare detachments, operating under those conditions links mission effectiveness directly to force protection, resilient communications, mobility, and the ability to continue generating effects during enemy strikes.

General Schiess’s account also shows that the Space Force’s role in joint operations now extends beyond providing satellite communications, missile warning, positioning, navigation, and intelligence support to other services. In this case, a Guardian received a specific operational target and used a Space Force weapon system to generate a direct electromagnetic effect against it, placing Space Force personnel directly in the sequence from intelligence collection and target identification to weapon configuration and engagement. Schiess said the Joint Force considered Space Force capabilities part of the minimum force required for Epic Fury, reinforcing the service’s growing role in operational planning and execution rather than limiting it to support functions behind conventional air, land and maritime forces.

The mission also has broader relevance to future conflicts involving technologically advanced militaries. China and Russia operate extensive satellite, radar, communications, navigation, and command-and-control architectures that depend heavily on the electromagnetic spectrum, making the ability to translate current intelligence into target-specific non-kinetic effects increasingly important to U.S. joint operations. The Epic Fury disclosure does not establish how the unidentified Space Force weapon would perform against Chinese or Russian systems, and the service has released no technical information that would support such a conclusion, but it does show that Guardians are already using target-specific electromagnetic fires in combat and that Space Force units can be integrated directly into joint targeting cycles under hostile conditions.

The significance of General Schiess’s account is therefore less about the identity of the classified weapon or target than about the operational process it confirms. A deployed Space Force electronic warfare detachment received a priority targeting package, reconfigured a weapon for that mission, acquired the target, and delivered a non-kinetic electromagnetic effect while its operating site was under missile threat, providing a rare official view of how Guardians are generating direct combat effects during active military operations.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.