Houthis Used Claude Code to Develop Missile Guidance Software: Anthropic

Anthropic’s September threat report identifies a Yemen-based cell that ran multiple Claude Code instances in parallel to create guidance software, integrate open-source autopilot code, and conduct six-degree-of-freedom trajectory and reinforcement-learning simulations for a tactical rocket, a >2,000 km ballistic missile, and a hypersonic glide vehicle named “R2000.” After a guided-rocket test failed, the group fed launch telemetry into Claude for diagnosis, compiled the resulting code into an offline executable, and bypassed AI safeguards. Anthropic blocked the accounts and highlighted the cell’s technique of fragmenting requests to evade restrictions, constituting direct generative-AI support for conventional weapons development.