REUTERS

The United States unleashed an array of weaponry against Iranian targets on Saturday, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighters, and for the first time in combat, low-cost one-way attack drones modeled after Iranian designs.

US Central Command released photographs showing Tomahawk missiles, F-18 and F-35 fighter jets alongside details of the strikes on Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

The Pentagon used artificial intelligence services from Anthropic, including its Claude tools, during its attack on Iran, according to a source familiar with the situation. Reuters could not determine how the tools were used in the war effort.

Anthropic’s AI has been in use across the intelligence community and armed services, and it was first among peer AI companies to work with classified information, through a supply deal via cloud provider Amazon.

BOMBERS

As the Pentagon intensified its bombings of Iran’s military, it deployed B-2 stealth bombers from the US to strike at hardened, underground Iranian missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs. The B-2, a $2-billion flying wing built by Northrop Grumman, played a key role in delivering strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites last June.

DRONES

The US military said it used suicide drones that appear identical, based on photos released by the Pentagon, to the new LUCAS (Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System) manufactured by Phoenix, Arizona-based Spektreworks. The company did not respond to requests for comment. In a first, CENTCOM used one-way attack drones modeled after Iran’s Shahed drones, the Pentagon said. Kamikaze drones are inexpensive and are meant to be produced by several manufacturers, the Pentagon has said. The price of the LUCAS is around $35,000. The US also used much more expensive MQ-9 Reaper drones and counter-drone systems.

TOMAHAWKS

The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile is a long-range cruise missile typically launched from sea to attack targets in deep-strike missions. The precision-guided Tomahawk cruise missile can strike targets from 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away, even in heavily defended airspace. The missile measures 20 feet (6.1 meters) long with an 8.5-foot wingspan and weighs about 3,330 pounds (1,510 kg).

According to Pentagon budget data, the US plans to buy 57 such missiles in 2026. They have an average cost of $1.3 million each. There is also an ongoing effort to spend millions to modify and upgrade the weapons including the guidance systems.