Iran has launched more than 2,000 missiles and drones in first 8 days of war
Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and more than a thousand drones during the first eight days of the conflict with the United States and its allies, according to military data compiled from Israeli sources.
Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and more than a thousand drones during the first eight days of the conflict with the United States and its allies, according to military data compiled from Israeli sources.
According to The Times of Israel, Iran has launched about 810 ballistic missiles and roughly 1,245 drones during the opening phase of the war, one of the largest sustained missile and drone campaigns seen in the Middle East in years.
The data illustrates the scale of Iran’s retaliatory strategy after U.S. strikes targeted Iranian military and nuclear facilities, triggering the 2026 regional conflict.
The largest wave of attacks came during the first two days of the war.
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On Day 1 (Feb 28), Iran launched approximately 350 ballistic missiles alongside 294 drones, according to figures reported by the IDF and defence researchers tracking the conflict.
The barrage intensified on Day 2 (March 1), when Iran deployed around 175 missiles and 541 drones, marking the highest number of drones launched in a single day during the first week.
Security analysts say the opening salvo reflected Iran’s attempt to overwhelm air-defence systems through a strategy combining ballistic missiles with large numbers of drones.
After the initial surge, the number of launches began to decline as the conflict progressed.
Missile launches fell to 120 on Day 3 and 50 on Day 4, before dropping further to 40, 32, 28 and 15 missiles over the following days.
Drone activity showed a similar trend. After peaking on Day 2, launches fell to 200 drones on Day 3, then 85 on Day 4, followed by 45, 38, 30 and 12 drones over the next four days.
Iran’s heavy use of drones reflects a broader military doctrine that emphasises relatively low-cost unmanned systems to complement missile forces.
Iran has spent years developing drones such as the Shahed-series loitering munitions, which have been deployed in conflicts across the Middle East and beyond.
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