America's new war machines showcased in Iran war
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A Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) successfully launches from the deck of the USS Santa Barbara in the Persian Gulf in December. Photo: U.S. Army
In less than one week, the Iran war has produced a remarkable string of combat firsts that pull back the curtain on an American military boosted by AI and stocked with upgraded weapons.
Why it matters: Some of America's defense-tech advancements have been on full display during Operation Epic Fury. The Trump administration has been happy to confirm — and flex — the results.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Pentagon briefing Wednesday that Washington is "punching" Tehran while it's down, "which is exactly how it should be."
Here's what's catching our eyes:
1. The U.S. military used, and may still be using, Anthropic's AI tools, despite President Trump's insistence on blackballing the company.
- The Wall Street Journal first reported its usage in the operation. Pentagon commands around the world, it reported, employ Claude.
- The Pentagon has previously used AI to synthesize documents, streamline logistics, simulate situations and identify objects in drone feeds.
2. U.S. troops for the first time used two highly anticipated weapons: The Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) and Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System drones (LUCAS).
- PrSM is a Lockheed Martin-made ballistic missile, compatible with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
- LUCAS is a low-cost drone — $35,000 a pop — and is based on Iran's own delta-wing Shahed, which has also been coopted by Russia (Geran) and Houthi rebels (Waid).
- "We took them back to America, made them better, and fired them right back at Iran," Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper said in a prerecorded video.
- "I just could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform leveraging innovation to create dilemmas for the enemy."
3. The F-35, long dogged by cost overruns and delays, is having a breakthrough moment in combat.
- An Israeli Air Force F-35I took out an Iranian Air Force Yak-130. The Israel Defense Forces described it as the "first shootdown in history of a manned fighter aircraft by an F-35 'Adir.'"
- And Royal Air Force F-35Bs downed drones over Jordan while backed by Typhoons and a Voyager tanker, according to the defense ministry.
4. A U.S. Navy submarine sank an Iranian warship with a single Mk 48 torpedo in the Indian Ocean.
- It's the first American torpedo attack to sink an enemy ship since World War II.
- "This is an incredible demonstration of America's global reach," Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said at the Pentagon briefing.
- "To hunt, find and kill an out-of-area deployer is something that only the United States can do at this type of scale."
Reality check: It's also worth noting:
- The Defense Department's public narrative indicates these new weapons are performing as advertised. Malfunctions are unlikely to surface anytime soon.
- The department also remains a slow-moving behemoth. Weapons and vehicles can take years to develop and run wildly over budget.
Go deeper: Trump's "Department of War" rebrand could cost $125 million
