From Drones To Deepfakes: How Technology Shapes The Iran War News 18 04 Apr 2026
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From Drones To Deepfakes: How Technology Shapes The Iran War News 18 04 Apr 2026
The Iran conflict has displayed the changing nature of warfare, especially with infusion of technology. Iran was amongst the world’s most sanctioned nations for the past four decades, yet it has highest levels of literacy in the region at 94-95%, with female literacy reaching almost 99%. It achieved remarkable growth in technology in sectors like aerospace, defence and nuclear, prompting fear amongst its adversaries, a possible cause for the current conflict.
There are claims that it was supported in missile and nuclear technology by North Korea, Russia and China. However, the same has never been verified. Such was the fear of Iran’s nuclear development that Israel began eliminating Iranian nuclear scientists in targeted assassinations over the years, all aimed at stemming its nuclear program. In aerial attacks of Jun 2025, Israel killed eleven specific scientists as also announced their names, taking the total figure of scientists killed to 20. Iran mentioned in response, ‘Hundreds of nuclear scientists can replace those who were martyred.’
A nation which does not toe the line drawn by superpowers must possess nuclear weapons to ensure survival. Iran was close to developing the same and is being targeted, while North Korea, which possesses them, is secure.
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is being effectively employed in planning and targeting. The US, which introduced the Maven Smart System, launched by Palantir, in 2017, has utilized it to plan its aerial strikes. The speed and scale at which decisions are given by AI leaves little room for verification. There is no confirmation on whether AI was behind determining if the girls’ school in Minab, Iran, was a military target, resulting in killing around 170, including 160 children nor whether human oversight was involved in confirming its status. The need for human oversight while exploiting AI in decision-making can never be understated.
Israel claims to be using AI since its 2021 war with Hamas. In the current conflict it has been using AI for generating target lists and tracking individuals for selective strikes. It has integrated it into its weapon systems to enhance kill rates. Its known applications include Lavender, an AI based decision-support system, Gospel, which generates target lists and ‘Where’s Daddy,’ which tracks individuals ahead of a strike.
Iran’s use of AI in the conflict in information warfare and cyber operations is well-known. Its Shaheed drones exploit AI for navigation and target tracking. Its utilization for decision-making is unknown.
Iran’s famed Shaheed drones, earlier used by Russia in the Ukraine war, and now against the US and Israel, have overwhelmed air defences in the Middle East. They were successfully launched alongside missiles infiltrating Israel and the US’s much touted anti-missile shields. Drones launched from Lebanon were far more effective against Israel considering shorter distance and lesser flight time.
As per the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s Iron Beam, a high-powered laser weapon based anti-drone system, has not been used in the current conflict, though it was successfully tested last year. Reasons for the same are unclear.
Ukraine, which faced swarms of Shaheed drones as also the improved Russian version called ‘Geran’ incorporating anti-jamming features, developed its own layered anti-drone system. The problem for the defender gets compounded when drones are launched alongside missiles to overwhelm air defence systems, forcing utilization of costly missiles against cheap drones. The US reverse engineered the Shaheed Drone terming it as Lucas or FM 136 and has effectively employed it against IRGC targets in Iran.
To overcome the problem of detecting small drones, whose signatures are difficult to read, Ukraine came out with an acoustic detection system integrated with its missile-defence systems. These have now been deployed to protect critical infrastructure in five Middle Eastern nations. Israel is also in talks with Ukraine on procuring the same. This could be the future of anti-drone systems alongside high-powered lasers. This would reduce costs of engaging cheap drones with expensive missiles.
The use of cluster missiles by Iran and Palestine II missiles by the Houthis which bypassed Israeli’s Iron Dome systems indicate the growing role of missiles in conflicts. Targets in the Middle East engaged by a combination of missiles and drones indicate the future of warfare. The Houthis, a known terrorist group and under sanctions, displayed high levels of technology in their Palestine II missiles.
With reliance on air power, missiles and drones, the war indicates a shift from contact warfare to non-kinetic. It also highlights limits on such type of warfare. Despite massive destruction utilizing air power has not brought about the capitulation of Iran. Its refusal to engage in talks is an indicator of limitations of non-kinetic warfare.
Exploitation of space-based assets was another feature of the conflict. The US space and cyber commands in joint operations disabled Iran’s satellite networks and command and control capabilities prior to launch of air strikes. Space-based assets also enabled the US to track Iran’s missile launches enabling their destruction. Images from commercial satellites were utilized for similar purposes to fill gaps.
Iran, on the other hand, was relying on satellite reconnaissance from Russia and China to determine targets, both military and critical infrastructure, including movement of US forces, especially since its own systems were damaged at the commencement of operations. There is little that the US could do to object, as it was following a similar approach in Ukraine. The availability of data from commercial satellites allowed analysts, journalists and governments to monitor military developments in near real time, creating what is now being termed as a ‘glass battlefield.’ Space will be a crucial domain in future wars.
Building right narratives is another aspect. Narratives determine global opinion. Most media are controlled by the west however social media is open. Israel as also countries in the Middle East have imposed strict media control intending to hide extent of damage caused by Iranian retaliatory strikes on their soil. However, the same continues to flow through social media. In reality, it is difficult to determine truth from the multitude of narratives.
In the Ukraine conflict, western media denied space to Russia, including on ‘X’. Moscow banked on Telegram to share its version and messages. The same is not the situation now. Iranian and pro-Iranian handles are busy playing the victim card as also displaying resistance to the invasion. Their use of deep fakes has been effective. The common man normally tends to support the weak. In the Ukraine war, there was backing for Kiev as it was the nation attacked. In the Iran conflict, it is Iran which is winning the war on narratives for similar reasons. Its ability to withstand, hit back and refuse to negotiate, is working in its favour.
The US is losing the war on narratives largely due to rambling by Trump and his two main aides, Marc Rubio and Pete Hegseth. Their statements are offensive and largely contradictory. Added has been shifting goal posts in ending the war. Claiming the war is terminating soon, Iran has no air defences, demanding re-opening of the Hormuz Straits, which were anyway open prior to the assault, moving back from regime change to we have achieved regime change, the US leadership has lost support even in its own country. The downfall of Trump’s internal rating is the result of his administration’s ill-conceived approach to narratives.
The war has yet to end. Far more lessons would emerge. The utilization of technology is an indicator of where warfare is moving and how nations should prepare. India is not far behind in technology but should ensure it does not miss the bus as it has two major adversaries who would work in tandem.
About the Author
Maj Gen Harsha Kakkar
Retired Major General Indian Army