US says it used drones based on Iran’s own Shaheds in attack: ‘American-made retribution’

The US military said on Saturday that it has been using single-use drones to attack Iran for the first time in combat, signalling adoption by the world’s wealthiest military of a technology already surging to prominence in the Ukraine-Russia war.“Task Force Scorpion Strike employed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat,” US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement posted on social media.Centcom said the drones, which are expendable but cheaper than traditional missiles, had been based on Iran’s own technology.“These low-cost drones, modelled after Iran’s Shahed drones, are now delivering American-made retribution,” the statement said, referring to the Shaheds – a weapon heavily exported from Iran to Russia for use against Ukraine.Drone technology in Ukraine has transformed warfare, with both sides in the conflict using the flying explosives to minimise the need for frontline troops, while leaving enemy soldiers few places to hide.