Iran Fires 18 Missiles at USS Gerald Ford in Arabian Sea — America’s 7-Minute Obliteration
Arabian Sea — The USS Gerald R. Ford strike group survived its deadliest trial yet when Iran unleashed 18 anti-ship and ballistic missiles at the carrier formation, triggering a frantic defensive battle that ended with a brutal, seven‑minute U.S. counterstrike which wiped out much of Iran’s coastal missile network.
Shortly before dawn, Aegis radars on the Ford’s escorting cruisers and destroyers lit up with simultaneous launches from multiple points along Iran’s southeastern coast. Within seconds, alarms blared through the 100,000‑ton carrier as sailors scrambled to battle stations and SM‑2 and SM‑6 interceptors tore into the sky. The first wave of Iranian missiles was met high above the sea in a storm of mid‑air fireballs, but several sea‑skimming cruise missiles punched through the chaos, detonating close enough to rock the Ford and pepper her flight deck with shrapnel.
A nearby destroyer suffered superficial damage; a handful of sailors were injured, none critically…