How Did America Clone Iran's Weapon to Strike Tehran?

SadaNews - For the first time, the United States used low-cost suicide drones during its joint attack on Iran on Saturday,

However, the paradox is that the drones used by the U.S. military are designed similarly to Iranian designs.

On Saturday, the United States targeted a range of weapons in its attack on Iranian targets, including "Tomahawk" missiles and stealth fighters.

The U.S. Central Command released images showing "Tomahawk" missiles and "F-18" and "F-35" fighters, along with details of the strikes on Iran as part of an operation dubbed "Epic Fury."

Drones

The U.S. military announced that it used suicide drones that appear to be identical, based on images published by the Pentagon, to the new Lucas drones (a low-cost unmanned combat attack system) produced by "SpectreWorks" in Phoenix, Arizona.

The company did not respond to requests for comments.

The U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) stated that the Central Command used offensive suicide drones for the first time "similar to the Iranian Shahed drones."

The Pentagon indicated that the suicide drones are cost-effective and are set to be produced by multiple companies, with the cost of a Lucas drone being around $35,000.

Drones have increasingly become a crucial part of warfare, as Russia's attack on Ukraine prompted the U.S. and other countries to adopt a new strategy known as "Affordable Block," which involves possessing a large quantity of relatively cheap weapons ready for use.

Tomahawk

The ground-launched "Tomahawk" missile is a long-range cruise missile typically launched from the sea to strike targets in deep offensive missions.

A precision-guided "Tomahawk" missile can hit targets 1,600 kilometers away, even in heavily protected airspace.

The missile is 6.1 meters long and weighs around 1,510 kilograms.

The "Raytheon" unit of "RTX" manufactures "Tomahawk" missiles that can be launched from land or sea.

According to Pentagon budget data, the United States plans to purchase 57 missiles of this type in 2026, with an average cost of $1.3 million for each missile.

There are also ongoing efforts to spend millions to modify and upgrade weapons, including guidance systems.

An agreement recently made between "Raytheon" and the Pentagon aims to increase the production of "Tomahawk" missiles to a thousand units annually eventually.

The U.S. military and allied armed forces have conducted flight tests for the "Tomahawk" missile equipped with a global positioning system and have used it in an operational environment, including when the U.S. and British naval forces launched "Tomahawk" missiles at positions of the Houthi group in Yemen.

The U.S. Central Command released images and videos showing fighter jets of the "F-18" and "F-35" models being used in the strikes on Iran.

The "F-35" is a fifth-generation stealth fighter, capable of evading radar and carrying precision-guided munitions.

The United States has widely deployed "F-35" aircraft throughout the Middle East.

"Boeing" manufactures the "F-18," a multirole fighter capable of conducting air-to-air and air-to-ground strikes, carrying a diverse array of bombs and missiles.

"F-35" aircraft can also carry a wide range of missiles, including those that can seek out and destroy radar installations to disrupt the adversary's sight capabilities.

Israeli Air Force also employs these aircraft.