Iran has launched over 2,000 inexpensive drones across the Middle East in recent days, targeting US allies in the Gulf, energy infrastructure, and civilian areas. The Shahed ‘kamikaze’ drones, costing between $20,000 and $50,000 each, are designed to overwhelm defences and cause chaos.
Deadly attacks have included a strike on a US base in Kuwait that killed six troops, and hits on a radar installation at the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. In Dubai, a drone struck a hotel on the Palm Jumeirah, causing a huge fireball, while Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery at Ras Tanura halted production after debris from an intercepted drone sparked a fire.
The drones’ simple design and low altitude flight make them difficult to detect by radar. Unlike commercial drones, the Shahed is pre-programmed with a satellite navigation route and cannot be remotely operated. With a range of 2,500km, it could theoretically fly from Tehran to Athens.
Intercepting the drones is costly, often requiring expensive surface-to-air missiles. The UAE reported that over 1,000 Iranian drones had been fired at the country, with only 71 getting through defences. The US has developed its own version, the Lucas drone, and used it in combat recently, with Admiral Brad Cooper stating they had taken the Iranian design, 'made them better, and fired them right back at Iran.'
Experts suggest the drone campaign may be part of an Iranian strategy to impose terror and pressure the US into a swift end to the conflict. The Shahed has been used extensively by Russia in Ukraine, and Iran has exported the drones to its ally.
