Operation Epic Fury & Operation Roaring Lion Joint Operations Moral Patch

Operation Epic Fury and Operation Roaring Lion were the paired U.S. and Israeli codenames for the joint strikes carried out on February 28, 2026, against targets inside Iran. The operations were the second chapter of a campaign that began with Israel's Operation Rising Lion in June 2025 and the U.S. Operation Midnight Hammer on June 22, 2025, which together struck Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The Latin phrase at the center of this patch, "Si vis pacem, para bellum," has been the philosophical backbone of Western deterrence doctrine since the Roman Empire, and whoever commissioned this imagery knew exactly what they were putting on record.

The buildup preceding the February 2026 strikes was the largest U.S. military deployment in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Two carrier strike groups were positioned in theater: Carrier Strike Group 12, built around USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which deployed off the coast of Israel on February 27, 2026, and Carrier Strike Group 3, built around USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), which had arrived earlier from the South China Sea via San Diego. The carrier depicted on this patch represents that forward-positioned strike group presence — the fulcrum of U.S. power projection during these operations.

The aircraft rendered in pairs at the top of the patch are consistent with the fighter platforms that actually flew these missions. On the Israeli side, the Israeli Air Force employed F-35I "Adir" stealth fighters, F-15I "Ra'am" strike jets, and F-16I "Sufa" multirole fighters — the same mix used in Rising Lion the previous June. On the U.S. side, twelve F-22 Raptors had been forward-deployed to Ovda Airbase in southern Israel, F-15E Strike Eagles had been relocated from RAF Lakenheath to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, and F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from the carrier air wings aboard Ford and Lincoln rounded out the strike package. Fourteen U.S. Air Force refueling tankers were staged at Ben Gurion Airport to give the carrier air wings the range to reach Iran. The Iranian flag positioned beneath the carrier is a direct statement of context. The American and Israeli flags form the background, and the bald eagle and roaring lion flanking the center image make the alliance explicit.

This patch is a round 4-inch design with a merrowed border in gold, a black outer ring carrying the operation names in gold lettering, and a dense embroidered interior that holds the carrier, aircraft, flags, eagle, lion, and Latin inscription with no wasted space. It is an original PopularPatch design — created and owned by PopularPatch, not licensed from or reproduced from any third-party artwork. Iron-on backing makes it easy to mount, and it can be sewn on for anything permanent.

Mount it in a shadow box alongside deployment medals and strike group memorabilia, sew it on a vest for the next reunion, or put it on a range bag. It also fits a flat-rate envelope easily if you are sending it to someone who was in the region during these operations and would recognize the imagery on sight. The patch ships fast and arrives ready to display or wear.