US using AI, B-2 bombers and suicide drones in Iran strikes
The US is deploying low-cost suicide drones modelled after Iranian designs as part of Operation Epic Fury
The United States unleashed an array of weaponry against Iranian targets on Saturday, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighters, and for the first time in combat, low-cost one-way attack drones modelled after Iranian designs. US Central Command released photographs showing Tomahawk missiles, F-18 and F-35 fighter jets alongside details of the strikes on Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury.
Artificial intelligence
The Pentagon used artificial intelligence services from Anthropic, including its Claude tools, during its attack on Iran, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The operation came a day after the US declared Anthropic a supply chain risk, implying it is a threat to national security. President Donald Trump on Friday also directed the government to stop working with the start-up.
Reuters could not determine how the tools were used in the war effort. The Pentagon and Anthropic did not immediately return a request for comment.
Anthropic’s AI has been in use across the intelligence community and armed services, and it was first among peer AI companies to work with classified information, through a supply deal via cloud provider Amazon.
Bombers
As the Pentagon intensified its bombings of Iran’s military, it deployed B-2 stealth bombers from the US to strike at hardened, underground Iranian missile facilities with 2,000-pound bombs.