Video: Iran Unveils First-Ever AI-Powered Suicide Drone Launched From Submarine

Iran’s Ministry of Defense has released footage claiming to show the world’s first submarine-launched loitering munition, an autonomous suicide drone that operates without human control.

The video, aired by Iranian state media, captures a torpedo-shaped device surfacing from underwater and deploying a folding-wing drone into the air. 

The drone is then seen flying before striking a simulated land target and detonating its warhead. 

Iranian defence officials have stated that this drone is fully autonomous, relying on artificial intelligence to identify and attack targets without manual operation or remote guidance.

Since it does not require a radio link to a control station, it is less vulnerable to electronic countermeasures such as jamming.

Iran has an extensive history of drone development and deployment. It has previously used long-range loitering munitions to attack vessels and even modified a small cargo ship into a floating drone launch platform.

The Iranian Ministry of Defense has officially unveiled the “Hadid 110,” an Autonomous Unmanned Drone with low radar and acoustic signatures. It is capable of target identification using AI-powered image recognition and can be launched from an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). pic.twitter.com/yTgkxto2vl

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Additionally, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have deployed hundreds of shore-launched drones to strike Western merchant ships and warships in the Red Sea.

If Iran’s submarine-launched drone proves effective in real-world operations, it could create a new challenge for naval forces.

Launching from an underwater position closer to the target would reduce the time available for detection and interception, increasing the difficulty of defence.  

Iran’s defence ministry also claims that the new suicide drone can be deployed from autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in addition to manned submarines.

The delivery system shown in the released footage resembles Iran’s small torpedo-shaped AUV, similar to the ones reportedly encountered by U.S. forces in the Houthi conflict.  

While AI-powered lethal drones raise ethical concerns for Western militaries, the development of such technology is advancing globally.

The U.S., Russia, and Ukraine are actively working on similar AI-driven weapons, with Ukraine and Russia leading in AI training based on thousands of hours of combat drone footage from the ongoing war.  

Reference: deepnewz

Source: Maritime Shipping News