U.S. Strikes Iran Using Anthropic AI, B-2 Bombers, Tomahawk Missiles and One-Way Drones

On March 1, U.S. forces carried out a coordinated strike package against Iranian military targets that combined long-range cruise missiles, stealth fighters, heavy bombers and, for the first time in combat, low-cost one-way attack drones modeled on Iranian designs.

U.S. Central Command released images and video showing Tomahawk cruise missiles alongside footage of F/A-18s and F-35s as part of Operation Epic Fury, and provided details about the weapons and systems used in the operation.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Officials said the Pentagon employed artificial intelligence services from Anthropic, including its Claude tools, during the operation. That disclosure came a day after the U.S. government designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk and following a presidential directive to halt government work with the start-up. Reuters was not able to determine how Anthropic’s tools were applied in the mission; neither the Pentagon nor Anthropic immediately commented. Anthropic’s technology has previously been used across U.S. intelligence and military services and was among the first commercial AI providers to handle classified data through a cloud agreement with Amazon.

B-2 Bombers and Heavy Munitions

The Pentagon deployed B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to strike hardened, underground missile facilities using 2,000-pound bombs. The B-2, a roughly $2 billion flying-wing built by Northrop Grumman, previously took part in strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. With a 172-foot (52.4 m) wingspan and a low observable design, the B-2 can fly long distances (up to about 6,000 nautical miles unrefueled on paper), though most missions require multiple mid-air refuelings.

Suicide Drones and an “Affordable Mass” Approach

Central Command said it used low-cost, one-way attack drones that, based on Pentagon photos, appear identical to the new LUCAS (Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System) produced by Phoenix-based Spektreworks. CENTCOM also said it deployed one-way drones modeled after Iran’s Shahed design — a first in its operations. The Pentagon has emphasized that such "kamikaze" drones are inexpensive by design and intended to be produced by multiple manufacturers as part of a broader shift toward an "affordable mass" strategy: maintaining many relatively cheap, expendable weapons.

The LUCAS is reported to cost roughly $35,000 each. The U.S. also used higher-cost systems such as MQ-9 Reaper drones and deployed counter-drone systems during the strikes.

Tomahawk Cruise Missiles

Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, typically launched from ships or land platforms, were part of the strike package. These precision-guided cruise missiles can engage targets at ranges of roughly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) and are designed to operate in contested airspace. A Tomahawk is about 20 feet (6.1 m) long, has an 8.5-foot wingspan and weighs approximately 3,330 pounds (1,510 kg).

Raytheon, a unit of RTX, manufactures the non-nuclear Tomahawk. Pentagon budget documents show plans to purchase 57 Tomahawk missiles in 2026 at an average unit cost of about $1.3 million, while ongoing upgrade programs aim to modernize guidance and other systems. A recent agreement between Raytheon and the Pentagon seeks to ramp production toward a long-term goal of up to 1,000 missiles annually.

Fighter Jets and Roles

Photos and footage released by U.S. Central Command showed F/A-18 and F-35 fighters participating in the strikes. The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth aircraft designed to evade radar and deliver precision-guided munitions. The Boeing F/A-18 is a multi-role fighter capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, carrying a range of bombs and missiles. F-35s can carry ordnance intended to degrade enemy radar and limit an adversary’s ability to detect and respond.

Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman in San Francisco and Mike Stone in Washington; editing by Chris Sanders, Deepa Babington and Nick Zieminski.