SearchSearchFacebookTwitterEmailSMSBlue SkyWhatsappPrintRedditFlipboardPinterestLinkedinLatest StoriesIran WarMarch MadnessPoliticsU.S. NewsWorldSportsShoppingTiplineCultureScienceHealthBusinessVideos and satellite images document Iran's drone strategy.“Justine Goode / NBC News; TwitterEXCLUSIVESecurityVideos and satellite images show Iran's drone army puncturing U.S. and allied defensesAn NBC News analysis of 30 videos and satellite images shows Iranian drones are presenting a new type of struggle for the U.S. and its allies.

00:0000:00The buzz came before the explosion. An aerial vehicle dove from the cloudless sky toward its target at Camp Buehring, a U.S. military base in Kuwait. It struck near a running track with a fiery plume of black smoke.

The footage of this attack, posted online on March 1 but possibly filmed earlier, is one of over 30 open-source videos and satellite images verified by NBC News showing Iranian drone strikes and interceptions by the U.S. and its allies across seven countries. Apparent targets include military bases, transportation hubs, energy infrastructure and diplomatic centers. In 21 of 26 videos, drones appear to reach their targets.

Add NBC News to GoogleVideo appears to show an Iranian drone hitting a target in Kuwait00:26The videos, posted on various online platforms, reveal a pattern of inadequate protection for strategic locations targeted by the drones from the outset of the war. As the U.S. and Israel bombard Iran with the stated goal of crippling its nuclear, ballistic and drone capabilities, Iran retaliates by utilizing its arsenal of missiles and cheap exploding drones.

The weapon’s versatility may allow Iran to prolong the war by straining enemy resources, a tactic attractive for cash-strapped states, experts say. Iran is a pioneer of the technology, which it sold to Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has challenged the economics of warfare. While the U.S. remains firm in its air dominance, Iran’s drone campaign has forced the targeted countries to use expensive munitions for interceptions.

While the drones can be shot down with a range of weapons including heavy machine guns, fighter jets and advanced interceptors, they can overwhelm air defenses and even one such aircraft can inflict deadly damage.