Make Me Smart The U.S., Iran, and the rise of drone warfare
Mar 3, 2026
Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute and author on drones and defense policy, explains how loitering kamikaze drones and cheap swarm tactics are reshaping conflicts. She compares U.S. and Ukraine use, outlines drone varieties from small commercial models to larger combat systems, and discusses cost, ethics, AI involvement, and whether drones prolong or change warfare.
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U.S. Use Of Kamikaze Loitering Munitions
- The U.S. adopted low-cost kamikaze loitering munitions similar to Iran's Shahid-136 to overwhelm defenses.
- These reverse-engineered Lucas drones are cheap, mass-producible, launched from carriers or fields, and used in saturation attacks to swamp radar systems.
Saturation Attacks Overwhelm Air Defenses
- Drones enable saturation attacks that overwhelm air defenses through sheer numbers rather than single high-cost missiles.
- Sarah Kreps explains the U.S. used this tactic in strikes against Iranian targets to get through air defenses with disposable weapons.
Range Of Drone Scales In Modern Warfare
- Drone sizes vary from hobbyist-style quadcopters with strapped explosives to larger table-sized loitering munitions launchable from carriers.
- Kreps emphasizes the U.S. military is deploying both low-tech and larger agile drones because they are cheap and easy to produce.