The United States and its allies in the Middle East, following the offensive assault of the U.S. and Israel in Iran, were caught off guard by the sheer volume and effectiveness of the low-cost Shahed drones of Iran. This prompted them to seek tactical help from Ukraine.
Ukraine has spent years refining the art of drone warfare and defense throughout its ongoing war with Russia. The Russian army has been using the same Shahed drones from Iran.
Iran has stockpiled thousands of its one-way attack drones. These costs between 30000 and 50000 U.S. dollars each. Moreover, despite their low costs, they have been breaching the sophisticated and expensive air defense systems of the U.S. and Israel.
Shahed drones fly at low altitudes, often operating below the level at which many military radars are calibrated to look. They can be mistaken for birds or clutter on the horizon.
The strategy of Iran centers on its Mosaic Doctrine, which involves a war of attrition. Specifically, by launching thousands of cheap drones, they force the U.S. and its partners to burn through limited and expensive air defense stockpiles, such as Patriot and THAAD interceptors.
Nevertheless, in a reversal of the typical power dynamic, the U.S. and its Gulf partners are now looking to Ukraine for survival strategies and cost-effective defense.
Ukraine has developed advanced acoustic detection systems and specialized anti-drone units that use low-cost methods, such as heavy machine guns and small interceptor drones, to down Shahed drones from Russia at a fraction of a single million-dollar missile interceptor.
Gulf countries like the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain have very little resilience to the kind of persistent military pressure from massive low-cost drone assaults.
A deadly attack on a U.S. base in Jordan and another in Kuwait showed how Iranians drones were able to slip through defense systems. U.S. soldiers in Jordan were killed in their sleeping quarters. Drone strikes from Iran have been hitting critical infrastructures in the Gulf.