US adapts air defenses against Iran drones using Ukraine battlefield lessons
Photo: Iranian Shahed drones pose a challenge for US air defense (Getty Images)
The United States has faced a threat it was not prepared for: swarms of Iranian drones are changing the rules of the game in the Middle East. Traditional defenses are proving ineffective, stated former commander of the US Fifth Fleet, Kevin Donegan, according to Fox News.
Iranian kamikaze drones are forcing the Pentagon to overhaul how it protects its forces in the Middle East.
Thousands of American soldiers in the region are facing a threat against which traditional missile defense is largely ineffective.
Why are drones more dangerous than missiles?
Ballistic missiles fly high and fast, and systems such as Patriot and THAAD can shoot them down. Drones are different.
They fly low, slow, and often in swarms. This overwhelms defenses built to counter high-speed targets. On March 1, an Iranian drone struck a tactical center near a base in Kuwait. Six Americans were killed, and dozens were wounded.
Intercepting a single drone with a missile can cost millions of dollars. The drone is much cheaper.
If swarms arrive in waves, the United States spends expensive missiles on cheap targets. The Pentagon acknowledges that this is a mathematical problem that is difficult to sustain for long.
The solution is layered defense. The US is already deploying laser systems, Merop interceptor drones, and the Coyote and Roadrunner systems.
"No one system solves the drone problem by itself," Donegan said.
Ukraine has invaluable experience in countering Shahed drones
Iranian Shahed drones were refined during Russia’s war in Ukraine, where cities withstood over a hundred drones in a single night.
Now, Ukraine is sharing its expertise with the US and Gulf countries. American military officials acknowledge that tactics and technologies developed on the Ukrainian front are already shaping their planning.
No country in the world knows how to stop an attack drone as well as Ukraine. That’s why President Zelenskyy emphasizes that without Ukrainian know-how, it will be difficult for the US and its partners in the Middle East to build a reliable defense.
Zelenskyy has already sent three specialized teams to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE to counter Shahed drones.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Riyadh is in detailed negotiations to purchase Ukrainian interceptor drones and electronic warfare systems.
The contract hasn’t been signed yet, but its value could reach millions of dollars.
