US deploys suicide drones and Tomahawk missiles to Iran
The United States has unleashed a range of weapons against Iranian targets, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighter jets, and, for the first time in warfare, low-cost single-directional attack aircraft modeled after Iranian designs.
US Central Command released photos of Tomahawk missiles, F-18 and F-35 fighter jets, and details of attacks against Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury.
DRONES
The US military says it is using suicide drones that appear identical to the new LUCAS (Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System) manufactured by Phoenix, Arizona-based Spektreworks, according to photos released by the Pentagon. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
The Pentagon first said CENTCOM was using one-way strike drones modeled on Iran’s Shahed drones.
The Pentagon said kamikaze drones are cheap and should be produced by several manufacturers.
LUCAS is priced at around US$35,000 ($50,000). Drones have become an increasingly important part of warfare as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the United States and other countries into a new strategy known as “affordable mass” (having relatively cheap weapons at the ready).
TOMAHAWKS
The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is a long-range cruise missile usually launched from the sea to attack targets in deep strike missions. The precision-guided Tomahawk cruise missile can hit targets up to 1600 km away, even in heavily defended airspace. The missile has a length of 6 meters, a wingspan of 2.6 meters and a weight of approximately 1510 kg.
RTX’s Raytheon unit produces the non-nuclear Tomahawk missile, which can be launched from land or sea. According to Pentagon budget data, the USA plans to purchase 57 such missiles in 2026. The average cost of each of these is around US$1.3 million ($1.8 million). An effort is also underway to spend millions on modifying and improving weapons, including guidance systems.
A recent agreement between Raytheon and the Pentagon aims to increase production of Tomahawk cruise missiles to 1,000 units annually.
US and allied militaries have flight tested the GPS-enabled Tomahawk and used it in an operational environment, including when US and UK Marines launched Tomahawk missiles into Houthi rebel areas in Yemen.
FIGHT JETS
US Central Command published photographs and video footage showing F/A-18 and F-35 warplanes used in attacks against Iran.
The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet that can evade radar detection and carry precision-guided munitions. The US has deployed F-35s extensively in the Middle East. Produced by Boeing, the F-18 is a multi-role fighter aircraft that can perform both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions and carry various bombs and missiles.
F-35s can carry a wide variety of missiles, including missiles that can detect and destroy radar facilities to blind the enemy. Jets are also used by the Israeli Air Force.
