The US and Iran are using new weapons in the war. Here’s what to know.

From upgraded, extended range Iranian missiles to America’s deployment of Iran-inspired drones, the deadly conflict is also a real-world munitions testing ground.

By Agnes Helou and Ashley Roque on April 14, 2026 11:24 amShare

BEIRUT and WASHINGTON — In the weeks since the US and Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, the Middle Eastern battlefield has seen the combat debut of several weapons, many of them missiles that had never been fired in anger before.

Beyond its already well-known Shahed-family one-way attack drones, Iran has reportedly launched a handful of new munitions at targets throughout the Gulf and as far away as Diego Garcia. The US, meanwhile, has embraced Iranian-inspired drone designs and fired off a few new missiles of its own.

Some notable examples:

Iran Launches New Or Upgraded Missiles

Sejjil Missile: On March 15, Iran’s semi-official press agency Tasnim reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched for the first time solid-fuel Sejjil missiles against Israel.

Sejjil is described as an 18-meter (60-foot) medium-range ballistic missile developed by Iran, powered by two-stage solid propellant. It reportedly carries a 700 kg (1,500-pound) warhead and has a maximum range of 2,000 km (1,243 miles).

Khorramshahr-4: Earlier last month Iran reportedly used for the first time its heavy-weight ballistic missile Khorramshahr-4 missile, which Iranian media describe it as “super-heavy” missile “with a 2-ton warhead and speed exceeding 14 Mach.”

According to the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, Khorramshahr is ground-launched medium-range ballistic missile, with high explosive head and submunitions. Its range varies from 2,000 to 3,000 km.

Haj Qassem: The conflict has also seen upgraded versions of existing missiles, including the Haj Qassem. The missile, which was unveiled in May 2025, has an extended range of 1,200 km, according to Iranian media. The ongoing conflict, is the first time Iranian-government controlled media outlets report its use.

The missile reportedly uses solid fuel and has a modified warhead that enables it to maneuver to “penetrate the air defense missile systems” and is equipped with “an advanced navigation system that allows it to hit targets precisely and counter electronic warfare,” Iran’s Tasnim said.

Mystery Long-Range Munition: Perhaps the most surprising and mysterious development involving new munitions was a reported March 20 Iranian attack on far-distant Diego Garcia, which includes a British military base used by the US, about 2,500 miles from Iran’s borders.

Two missiles did not strike their targets — one failed in flight and the other was intercepted by US naval assets — according to The Wall Street Journal. But the sheer range of the strike pushed the boundaries of what experts believed Iran was capable of. (One analyst told WSJ that Iran could have modified a space launcher to cover the distance, and even then it’s unclear either would have made it all the way to any island targets.)

But unlike strikes on closer targets, Iran denied the attack. Still, Israeli officials have used the purported strike to warn that European capitals, until then out of range of the conflict, were in danger.

US Uses PrSM And Iran-Inspired Drones

Meanwhile, the US is also using several new weapons for the first time in combat against Iran. While US Central Command declined to provide a list the new capabilities making a debut, it has previously confirmed the first use of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) and the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC).

PrSM: On March 4, CENTCOM announced Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) Increment 1 had been used for the first time in combat, “providing an unrivaled deep strike capability.”

Designed to replace Lockheed’s MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and hit targets at least 500 kilometers away, the new missiles can  be launched by either M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers and the M270A2 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS).

A pair of New York Times articles have claimed that the PrSM weapon was used in a strike on a sports hall, a school and two residential areas in the Iranian city of Lamerd. CENCTOM has denied that a PrSM was involved.

LUCAS: Taking a page from Iran’s playbook, CENTCOM confirmed the use of a new one-way attack drone, dubbed LUCUS, after the initial wave of strikes on Iran. That new drone is reverse engineered from an Iranian Shahed 136, costs roughly $35,000, is about 10-feet in length and can carry an explosive payload that detonates on impact.

“As many of you know, and if you don’t know, this was an original Iranian drone design,” CENTCOM Commander Adm. Bradley Cooper told reporters on March 5. “We captured it, pulled the guts out, sent it back to America, put a little made in America on it, brought it back here, and we’re shooting it at the Iranians.”

GARC: In late March, Reuters reported that a new uncrewed surface vessel named GARC had been used in Operation Epic Fury.

Built by Maritime Applied Physics Corp, the US Navy has tested out the 16-foot vessel over the past couple of years but in June 2025, DefenseScoop reported that the service temporarily paused testing when it flipped another boat.