US deploys suicide drones and Tomahawk missiles in Iran strikes

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.

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

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).

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.