US naval vessels face Iran drone saturation attacks, expert says
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US military assets heading to the Middle East could face a serious threat from Iran’s drone swarms as reports emerge that Iran’s supreme leader has gone underground, according to a leading military drone expert.
Cameron Chell, CEO and co-founder DragonflyHe warned that Iran’s growing reliance on low-cost unmanned systems poses a serious danger to high-value US naval assets, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group.
“Iran’s drone capability is worth tens of millions of dollars,” Chell told Fox News Digital.
“By combining low-cost warheads with inexpensive delivery platforms, primarily remote-controlled aircraft, Iran has developed an effective asymmetric threat against highly complex military systems.”
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In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, a RIM-7P NATO Sea Sparrow Missile is launched from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during a river raid firing exercise at sea on August 13, 2007. (M. Jeremie Yoder/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Chell said Iran could launch large numbers of relatively simple drones directly at navy ships, creating saturation attacks that could overwhelm conventional defenses.
“If hundreds are launched in a short period of time, some are almost certain to be successful,” Chell said.
“Modern defense systems were not originally designed to counter such saturation attacks. Warships are prime targets for US surface ships operating near Iran.”
The warning came after a senior US official confirmed to Fox News Digital that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group had not yet moved into US Central Command’s area of responsibility in the Indian Ocean.
“He’s close, but technically he’s not at CENTCOM yet,” the source said. This shows that the aircraft carrier strike group is not yet in a position to strike Iran.
US officials say Washington has strengthened its military posture in response to increasing instability in Iran, increased its presence in the air, land and sea, and is closely monitoring developments in Syria.
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An American F-15EX in action. (US Air Force)
While a fleet of F-15 warplanes was deployed to the region, C-17 planes carrying heavy equipment also arrived in the region.
Once the carrier strike group enters the CENTCOM area of operations, which should be soon, it will take several days for the attack to fully establish itself.
U.S. and allied militaries are rapidly developing defenses, but uncertainty remains about new capabilities for USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier groups to handle large numbers of Iranian drones flying in formation, Chell said. He emphasized that Iran’s drone fleet is alarming.
“These drones provide Iran with a very reliable way to threaten surface ships,” he said. “US assets in the region are large, slow-moving and easily detected on radar, making them targetable.”
“Iran’s strength lies in these low-cost, high-volume drone systems, particularly unidirectional attack drones designed to fly into and detonate a target.”
Chell explained that Iran gained an early advantage in low-cost platforms known as Category One and Category Two drone systems, which can be produced in large numbers and used effectively in asymmetric warfare.
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Iranian opposition group has revealed a top-secret drone base in the country. The operation is said to be led by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Getty Images/NCRI)
“Category Three systems are a completely different matter,” he said. “In this field, Iran is decades behind the United States.”
The US military build-up coincides with widespread unrest in Iran. Protests broke out on December 28 amid growing public discontent.
Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said that as of Sunday, the death toll reached 5,459 and 17,031 cases were being investigated.
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Iran’s religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reportedly been moved to a fortified underground bunker in Tehran after senior officials assessed that the risk of a potential US attack had increased. reports.
President Donald Trump also addressed the deployment on January 21, telling reporters: “We have a large fleet heading in that direction and we’ll see what happens. We have a large force heading towards Iran. I don’t want anything to happen, but we’re watching them very closely.”
