US military assets heading to the Middle East could face a serious threat from Iranian drone swarms as reports emerge that Iran’s supreme leader has gone underground, a leading military drone expert said.
Cameron Chell, CEO and co-founder of Dragonflywarned that Iran’s growing dependence on low-cost unmanned systems poses a credible threat to high-value US naval assets, including the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group.
“By combining cheap nuclear warheads with cheap delivery platforms, essentially remotely piloted aircraft, Iran has developed an effective asymmetric threat against highly advanced military systems.”
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In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, a RIM-7P NATO Sea Sparrow Missile is launched from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during a gunnery exercise at sea on August 13, 2007. (M. Jeremy Yoder/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Chell said Iran could launch large numbers of relatively simple drones directly at naval vessels, creating saturation attacks that could overwhelm traditional defenses.
“If hundreds are launched in a short period of time, some will almost certainly get through,” Chell said.
“Modern defense systems were not originally designed to counter those types of saturation attacks. For U.S. surface ships operating near Iran, warships are the primary target.”
“It’s close, but not technically in CENTCOM yet,” the source said. This would indicate that the carrier strike group is not yet in a position to attack Iran.
U.S. officials say Washington is strengthening its military posture in response to growing instability in Iran, increasing its air, land and sea presence while closely monitoring developments in Syria.
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An American F-15EX in action. (US Air Force)
A squadron of F-15 fighter jets has been deployed in the region and C-17 aircraft with heavy equipment have arrived.
Once the carrier strike group enters CENTCOM’s area of operations, which should happen soon, it will take several more days for the attack to fully reach the station.
Chell noted that U.S. and allied militaries are rapidly developing their defense mechanisms, but uncertainty remains about the new capabilities of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carriers for managing multiple Iranian drones flying in formation. He emphasized that Iran’s drone fleet is worrying.
“These drones provide Iran with a highly credible way to threaten surface ships,” he said. “US assets in the region are large, move slowly and are easily identified on radar, making them susceptible to being targeted.”
“Iran’s strength lies instead in these cheap, large-scale drone systems – particularly one-way attack drones that are designed to fly into a target and detonate.”
Chell explained that Iran gained an early advantage in what are known as category one and category two drone systems: low-cost platforms that can be produced in large numbers and used effectively in asymmetric warfare.
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Iran’s opposition group has uncovered a top-secret drone base in the country. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is said to be overseeing the operation. (Getty Images/NCRI)
“Category Three systems are a completely different matter,” he said. “Iran is decades behind the United States in that area.”
The US military buildup coincides with widespread unrest in Iran. Protests broke out on December 28, amid growing public discontent.
The Press agency for human rights activists (HRANA) said the number of victims had reached 5,459 on Sunday, with 17,031 cases under investigation.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is said to have moved to a fortified underground shelter in Tehran after senior officials assessed an increased risk of a possible US attack. reports.
President Donald Trump also addressed the deployment on January 21, telling reporters: “We have a large fleet heading that way, and we’ll see what happens. We have a large force heading toward Iran. I’d rather not see anything happen, but we’re watching them closely.”
