The US-Iran conflict has become a testbed for the future of warfare, from missile defenses to cyber operations and autonomous drones.
The US this week said it had carried out its first offensive combat mission using unmanned surface vessels, sending drone boats to strike Iran’s Bandar Abbas naval base. The 24-foot vessels, which cost less than $1 million each, can travel more than 1,000 miles while carrying payloads of up to 1,000 pounds. A similar vessel, also made by Saronic Technologies, was used to rescue the crew of a downed US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz last month.
Iran has also been deploying technology of its own, and is believed to be targeting US military personnel in the Gulf through their smartphones, according to the Financial Times. Cyberattacks on mobile networks allowed adversaries — likely Iran or its allies — to seek the locations of specific phones. Tehran is also suspected of using commercial ad-targeting software to identify hotels housing US government staff.