B-2 bombers, suicide drones, Anthropic AI: What US used in strikes against Iran

On Saturday, the United States used a range of weaponry ​against targets in Iran, including stealth fighters and Tomahawk cruise missiles. For the first time in combat, low-cost one-way attack drones modeled after Iranian designs were used.

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

As the US-Israel offensive launched 'Operation Epic Fury' on February 27, Friday, in an attempt "to eliminate the imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime, destroy its ballistic missile arsenal, degrade its proxy terror networks, and cripple its naval forces," as informed by the White House.

Artificial intelligence

The ⁠Pentagon used artificial intelligence services from Anthropic, including its Claude tools, during its attack on Iran, a Reuters source familiar with the situation informed.

The ⁠operation came a day after the US declared Anthropic a supply chain risk, implying it is ‌a threat to national security. Trump on ​Friday also directed the government to stop working with the start-up.

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.

The use of the tools were not confirmed by Reuters, and both Pentagon and Anthropic were yet to comment on the aspect of its utilisation.

Bombers

As US ​intensified its bombings of Iran's military, it deployed ⁠B-2 stealth bombers 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 major role in delivering strikes on Iran's nuclear sites last June. With a 172-foot (52.4 m) wingspan and stealth profile, the B-2 can fly 6,000 nautical miles without refueling, but most missions require multiple mid-air refuelings.

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.

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. Drones have become an increasingly important part of warfare as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed U.S. and other countries towards a new strategy known ‌as "affordable mass" - having plenty of relatively cheap weapons at the ready.

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). RTX's Raytheon unit makes the Tomahawk missile - which are not nuclear-armed - which can be launched from land or sea. 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. A recent agreement between Raytheon and the Pentagon aims to increase production of Tomahawk cruise missiles eventually 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 the US and UK Navies launched Tomahawk missiles at Houthi rebel sites in Yemen.

Fighter jets

US Central Command released photographs and video footage showing F/A-18 and F-35 fighter jets being used in the strikes on Iran. The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter capable of evading radar detection and carrying ​precision-guided munitions. The United States has deployed F-35s extensively across the Middle East. The F-18, made by Boeing, is a multi-role fighter ​that can conduct both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, carrying ​a variety of bombs and missiles.

The F-35s can carry a wide array of missiles such as those which can seek out and destroy radar installations to blind ​the enemy. The jets are also in use by the Israeli Air Force.

(with agency inputs)