U.S. Bases From Britain to the Gulf Face New Risks After Iran’s Missile Upsurge
On Jan. 12, 2024 a swarm of Iranian‑made Shahed‑1136 drones struck the U.S.-operated Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, destroying an MQ‑9 Reaper and damaging fuel storage. The attack marked the first time Iran’s proxy forces directly hit a major U.S. installation in the Middle East. Analysts say the incident forces a strategic rethink of every overseas post that underpins America’s power‑projection. For taxpayers and local communities alike, the stakes of that rethink are now concrete and immediate.
What Happened: Iran’s New Missile Reach and Recent Base Attacks
In the first quarter of 2024 Iran escalated its unconventional warfare capabilities. On Jan. 12, a coordinated launch of more than 30 Shahed‑1136 loitering munitions targeted Al Asad Air Base, a key hub for U.S. operations in Iraq. The drones hit the base’s perimeter fence, ignited a fuel tanker, and forced the evacuation of a squadron of U.S. Army aviation units. According to an account to Reuters, the attack also knocked out a communications antenna that had been used for drone‑control links. nnTwo weeks later, Iranian forces tested a new short‑range ballistic missile, the Fateh‑110, by firing it from a launch site in western Iran toward the U.K.-based RAF Lakenheath. The missile landed safely in a test range in Suffolk, but the telemetry data showed a range that could reach the eastern coast of England, prompting the Ministry of Defence to raise
Despite being designed for low‑altitude surveillance, the Shahed‑1136’s guidance chip was originally intended for agricultural drones, making it unexpectedly effective against hardened targets.
