As the United States and their allies face the growing threat of Iranian Shahed drones in the Middle East, Ukrainian soldiers, who have been fighting against similar models for years, say their battlefield experience offers essential lessons for defense against these cheap aerial weapons, reports Business Insider.
The Iranian-made kamikaze attack drones Shahed, widely used by Russia in the war in Ukraine, have recently been launched against American forces in the Middle East. Although Western armies possess some of the most advanced air defense systems in the world, Ukrainian troops argue that these systems alone may not be the most efficient solution against swarms of drones launched by Iran.
Cheap Drones versus Sophisticated Defense
Alex Eine, the commander of a small Ukrainian drone unit, said he was surprised by reports that expensive intercept missiles are being used to stop the Shahed drones.
“When long-range drones fly towards you, you don’t shoot them down with 3 million dollar PAC-3 missiles”, said Eine, referring to the advanced interceptor used by the American Patriot anti-missile defense system.
Ukraine learned this lesson after years of trial and error while defending its cities and military positions against waves of Russian Geran drones. Eventually, the country developed cheaper countermeasures that can be implemented on a large scale, reducing the need to use costly missiles.
These methods include electronic warfare systems that disrupt drone navigation, mobile weapon teams that shoot them down with heavy machine guns, and increasingly, specially designed interceptor drones to block or disable approaching Shahed drones.
Details, HERE