“They’re adapting”: Iran using course-changing missiles to overwhelm US air defenses

Iran has refined its missile tactics against US bases across the Middle East, using advanced weapons that can abruptly alter course to pierce American air defenses.

Recent attacks employed advanced missiles capable of suddenly changing course, which strained and depleted the bases’ defensive systems and forced American forces to expend scarce Patriot interceptors at a rapid rate, according to a report by The New York Times.

Iran has evolved into a more skilled adversary, learning to evade US air defenses while expanding the fight across much of the Middle East and coordinating with allies such as the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq.

At the same time, the Pentagon’s stockpile of interceptors has dwindled sharply, with more than 1,500 Patriot interceptors already expended and fewer than 1,700 remaining, according to people briefed on the numbers who spoke to the NYT.

Iranian officials have described rapid operational improvements under fire.

One official in Tehran told reporters that “the Americans themselves are the main reason behind the improvement of our missiles in recent days,” adding that crews now restore launch sites to operational status in under 30 minutes after earlier strikes that once required up to 15 hours.

Analysts note that systems such as the Kheibar Shekan, capable of terminal-phase maneuvers and last-minute trajectory changes, have featured in recent attacks on US assets.

These adaptations, combined with mixed drone-and-missile salvos designed to overwhelm radars, have increased penetration rates against depleted defenses even as overall launch volumes have fluctuated.