US Navy Launched Something That Shouldn’t Exist… Iran Can’t Stop It – story-veterans.com

In this environment, cost asymmetry begins to shift.

A drone swarm that once threatened to deplete missile magazines may instead expose launch infrastructure. Every activation of a coastal radar, every opening of a shelter door, every telemetry burst becomes data. An E-2D Hawkeye operating high above jamming layers can geolocate emissions with remarkable precision. Launch sites reveal themselves the moment they transmit.

The immediate tactical outcome—whether dozens or hundreds of drones are neutralized—matters less than the strategic consequence. If a strike group retains the majority of its missile inventory while mapping the adversary’s coastal network, the balance of deterrence tilts.

That is the often-overlooked dimension of modern naval warfare. Defense and reconnaissance are intertwined. The act of attacking exposes infrastructure.