Are Kamikaze drones from Iran the ultimate threat to US aircraft carriers?

Modern warfare is evolving fast — most notably, and potentially, in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Drones now form a central part of what’s called “asymmetric war“.

When two sides have unequal military power, instead of matching ships with ships, or missile with missile, the weaker side uses unconventional, lower-cost, high-impact tactics to offset the stronger side’s advantage.

Drones, generally known as unmanned aerial system (UAS), fit that model almost perfectly.

The types of drones used in warfare is increasing. The US military classifies UAS into five groups; Nato classifies them into three classes. 

Drones can disrupt shipping lanes, shutter airports, torch oil facilities, and damage critical infrastructure. They can force military ships into defensive posture.

Drones in asymmetric war

The primary value of drones: low cost vs. high-value targets. For example, a $1,000–$20,000 drone can threaten:

• Naval vessels such as the $15-billion USS Abrham Lincoln (including air wing)

• Multi-million-dollar armoured vehicles

• Oil facilities

• Airports

• Military bases

That cost imbalance is classic asymmetric strategy.

In the Strait of Hormus, Iran’s drone carriers like the Shahid Bagheri can unleash waves of Shahed-136 “loitering munitions” alongside Khalij Fars anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) and swarms of Peykaap fast attack boats.

Do drones pose a threat to a US carrier strike group?

Iran’s strategy pits inexpensive Shahed drones — carried by up to 60 per “carrier” — in massive swarms against US carrier strike groups like the USS Abrham Lincoln.

The carrier was recently targeted by a Shahed-139. A US F-35 fighter jet shot it down before it could get perilously close.

Traditional US defences like Aegis Combat System with SM-2 interceptors, CIWS Phalanx guns, and Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAM) could handle small numbers.

But if the drown swarm is a 1,000-strong?

This would pose a serious challenge.

Tackling every single one of them with 100% hit rate would be pushing it: due to limited ammo of conventional weapons and high cost-per-shot — SM-2s cost millions of dollars each versus $1,000-$20,000 Iranian drones.

In the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, for example, Houthi forces have launched hundreds of drones and anti-ship cruise missiles targeting commercial and military vessels.

In an asymmetric war, electronic weapons are seen as increasingly relevant. They offer the potential to neutralise swarms of low-cost unmanned systems without expending expensive interceptor missiles.

What’s a drone-swarm challenge like for a carrier group?

A 1,000-drone “swarm”, if not more, would be a major challenge for old-school missiles, and current projectile-based weapons.

There’s no silver bullet or antidote to this new threat.

Is there a way to stop drones?

Yes — there are a number of options. Based on latest information by defence trade published, these weapons of the future include:

• High-powered microwave (HPMs) weapons

• High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS)

• Optical Dazzling Interdictor Navy (ODIN), a laser weapon system — firing concentrated high-energy light that burns through a drone’s hull instantaneously

• Leonidas — a microwave cannon that sends out a pulse and melts electronics mid-air.

A 2024 Defence Redefined report stated the US Navy planned to mount an HPM prototype on one of its combat vessels by this time (2026).

What is ODIN?

ODIN (Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy): Considered a lower-power “laser dazzler.” Its primary function is to disrupt, blind, or disable the sensors of enemy drones, UAVs, and optical sensors, rather than destroying them through thermal destruction.

It is currently installed on several Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, ODIN operates at the speed of light — literally 300 million meters per second.

Point it at a drone, pull the trigger, and it dies. No travel time, no lead calculations, no proximity fuses.

The best part about Odin: It runs on electricity. Carriers have nuclear reactors producing unlimited power, so Odin has infinite ammunition. No reloading, no running out of bullets. The crew could take down 10,000 drones and never run dry.

What is HELIOS?

HELIOS (High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance): A 60-kilowatt (upgradable to 150 kW) high-energy weapon that can “hard-kill” (destroy) drones and small boats in addition to having dazzling capabilities. It is integrated into the ship’s combat system (Aegis) for faster target engagement. 

What we know about HPMs

• The system stems from the Navy’s Project METEOR, a drive to develop a ship-integrated directed energy weapon designed to counter drones, missile threats and complex aerial attacks.

• Rather than destroying a target kinetically, it effectively “frys” or disrupts internal circuitry, rendering systems inoperable.

• If this weapon gets deployed in significant number, it would be a huge step in the Pentagon’s push to field directed-energy weapons against new threats in an asymmetric war.

• Unlike laser weapons that use concentrated light to burn through targets, the HPM weapon, called METEOR, to disable the electronics inside drones and missiles.

• USNI News, citing US Navy budget documents (FY2025), Project METEOR aims at developing a high-powered microwave (HPM) directed-energy weapon system to counter drones and missiles.

The Navy has not publicly identified the specific prime contractor for the METEOR project, managed by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, as per military media.

Raytheon (an RTX subsidiary) announced in December 2023 that it will design, build, and test high-power microwave antenna systems for the Navy to defeat airborne threats.

What happens when a thousand drones swarm a ship?

It’s not a battle — it’s target practice. The EM hammer knocks them off. With unlimited ammo and high accuracy, numbers don’t matter.

What’s the future of naval warfare?

An asymmetric conflict is much more complicated and nuanced than an open war: certain states (like Iran) supply drones to proxy groups (like the Houthis and Hezbollah) while avoiding direct attribution.

This blurs the line between conventional war and proxy conflict.

In the shadows of modern battlefields, limited drone attacks could unleash catastrophic ripple effects, strangling supply chains, tanking markets, and igniting firestorms that dwarf conventional firepower.

Victory won’t crown the arsenal king with the most missiles — it belongs to whoever commands the enduring flow of power when lights flicker out and factories grind to a halt.​

The drone nightmare isn’t fading — it’s evolving into humanity’s deadliest epoch. 

Cheap $1,000 UAVs now shred $82M jets. Will humanity unplug this apocalyptic genie?

 Welcome to the dawn of drone warfare.

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