Iran and the United States showcased their latest weaponry on Thursday as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies, with Tehran revealing a massive underground drone facility and Washington confirming the first combat use of a low-cost kamikaze drone modeled on Iranian technology.
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Iranian state media released footage showing tunnels lined with scores of Shahed-136 suicide drones, claiming the weapons have successfully struck hotels and residential buildings in Gulf states with precision. The video depicted drones being launched from rocket launchers and included clips of recent strikes.
US officials reportedly acknowledged in closed congressional briefings that these low-altitude, low-speed drones pose "significant challenges" to American air defense systems, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth admitting the weapons are causing more problems than anticipated.
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also claimed to have launched its 19th round of strikes using Khorramshahr-4 heavy missiles carrying one-ton warheads. Iran said the missiles, escorted by drone swarms, penetrated Israel's "seven-layer defense system" to hit targets in central Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport, and an air force base.
Meanwhile, US Central Command confirmed the "Scorpion Strike" task force deployed LUCAS suicide drones for the first time during Operation Epic Fury. Ironically, the LUCAS was developed based on Iran's Shahed design and costs only about US$35,000 per unit, significantly cheaper than traditional cruise missiles.
With a six-hour endurance and over 700-kilometer range, the LUCAS can carry 18 kilograms of explosives for beyond-line-of-sight strikes. US officials described it as a scalable retaliatory weapon.
