US uses Anthropic AI, B-2 bombers and suicide drones in Iran strikes
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The United States unleashed an array of weaponry during its attacks on Iranian targets on Feb 28.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SAN FRANCISCO – The United States unleashed an array of weaponry during its attacks on Iranian targets on Feb 28,
US Central Command (CENTCOM) released photographs showing Tomahawk missiles and F-18 and F-35 fighter jets alongside details of the strikes on Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury.
Artificial intelligence
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.
The operation came a day after the US declared Anthropic a supply chain risk, implying it is a threat to national security. President Donald Trump on Feb 27 also directed the government to stop working with the start-up.
Reuters could not determine how the tools were used in the war effort. The Pentagon and Anthropic did not immediately return a request for comment.
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 900kg bombs.
The B-2, a US$2 billion (S$2.53 billion) flying wing built by Northrop Grumman, played a key role in delivering strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in June 2025. With a 52.4m wingspan and stealth profile, the B-2 can fly 6,000 nautical miles without refuelling, but most missions require multiple midair refuellings.
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 modelled after Iran’s Shahed drones, the Pentagon said.
Kamikaze drones are inexpensive
The price of each LUCAS drone is around US$35,000. Drones have become an increasingly important part of warfare as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the US 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 1,600km away, even in heavily defended airspace. The missile measures 6.1m with a 2.5m wingspan and weighs about 1,500kg.
RTX’s Raytheon unit makes the Tomahawk missiles, which are not nuclear-armed and 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 US$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 Global Positioning System-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
CENTCOM 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 US 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. REUTERS
