Many countries want to replicate Iran's deadly "Shahed" drone

The Wall Street Journal concluded in a report on Iran's "Shahed" drone: Russia used it to attack Ukraine, and now the United States and its allies are racing to develop replicas of this low-cost, long-range, easy-to-manufacture, and effective weapon that consumes enemy air defense firepower.

The paper first pointed out that for decades, advanced armies have relied on expensive missiles for precision strikes, and used cheaper artillery for mass bombing.

But the paper warned that the war in Ukraine has shown that drones can be both cheap and precise. The "Shahed" drone costs only tens of thousands of dollars, and according to estimates, its flight range can exceed one thousand miles.

The paper cited comments from some military experts, saying that Russia's use of "Shahed" drones in Ukraine shows the West needs cheaper alternatives, as existing missiles cost more than 1 million dollars each and take over a year to manufacture.

The paper cited James Barton Rogers, a drone expert at the Brooks Technology Policy Institute at Cornell University, who said that Russia's use of mass-produced drones to consume air defense systems is a "game-changing" approach.

Rogers added, "Cheap, long-range, precise strikes are among the biggest threats to international security."

Russia began deploying the "Shahed" drones at the end of 2022, after signing an agreement with Iran to purchase and locally produce drones. Since then, Russia has launched tens of thousands of its own versions of this attack drone against targets inside Ukraine.

To keep up with these developments, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a memo in July this year, urging the United States to strengthen its drone manufacturing base and equip combat units with various U.S.-made low-cost drones.

At an event held by the Pentagon this summer, 18 prototypes of U.S.-made drones were displayed. One of them was the "Lucas" drone, manufactured by Spectral Workshop, a company based in Phoenix, which looks very similar to the "Shahed" drone.

This government-funded company describes the drone as "cost-effective" and requiring minimal logistics support.

Another long-range attack drone called "Arrowhead," manufactured by Griffin Aerospace, also has the same triangular wing shape as the "Shahed." This company, based in Madison, Alabama, says the drone is designed for mass production and can be launched in different ways.

"Shahed" drones and their replicas have become so common that companies such as Griffin and Saab of Sweden are now selling drones for shooting training, whose design and performance are similar to Iran's weapons.

However, rising labor and raw material costs are a problem for all Western drone manufacturers.

Last year, the U.S. defense company Anduril Industries sold 291 "Altius" long-range drones to Taiwan, including training and support infrastructure costs, with an estimated value of over 1 million dollars per drone. In contrast, according to analysts, the simpler "Shahed" version produced by Russia costs between 35,000 and 60,000 dollars.

But some Western manufacturers believe that the superior performance of their drones justifies this additional expense. The British engineering company MGI reported that its "Sky Shark" long-range drone flies at 280 miles per hour, while the "Shahed 136" drone flies at 115 miles per hour. The company's founder Mike Gaskin explained that this will make its drone harder to hit, and its price ranges between 50,000 and 65,000 dollars.

European missile giant MBDA said they have a new long-range attack drone that combines cruise missiles and drones.

It is now certain that Western armies have alternatives to drones, and the United States has many programs aimed at exploring low-cost attack weapons.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1844281934120201/

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