Iran's "Witnesses" Pose Major Challenge, US and Israel Seek to Learn from Ukraine's Drone Interception Experience

According to a report by Reference News Network on March 11, the German newspaper Welt reported on March 5 that just about a week after the war broke out in the Gulf region, a role reversal occurred in global diplomacy: the United States and several Gulf countries have requested Ukraine's assistance in defending against Iran's Shahed-136 drones. Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed the related requests.

Since 2022, Russia has been using these drones provided by Iran to attack targets in Ukraine. Now, the Ukrainian military is quite familiar with this type of weapon, and their expertise is highly valued in the Gulf region.

According to U.S. media reports, officials from the Trump administration acknowledged that Iran's Shahed series drones pose a significant challenge. U.S. air defense systems are unable to intercept all of them. U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley stated that Iranian drones are much more difficult to deal with than expected.

For four years, the Ukrainian military has painstakingly developed low-cost methods to defend against Shahed drones. They have adopted a "point defense" model centered around power plants, substations, and city centers, using simple means such as night vision goggles and heavy machine guns mounted on pickup trucks.

Higher-level defense systems include Germany's "Gepard" anti-aircraft tank, which is equipped with 35mm caliber machine guns and has been very successful in combat in Ukraine. Its firing costs are significantly lower than those of missile air defense systems and are very effective against the slower-flying Shahed drones.

Ukraine has also recently developed cheaper drones. Ukrainian military startups like "Wild Hornet" and "General Cherry" are producing small and inexpensive intercept drones specifically designed to hunt Shahed drones. They can be launched from simple catapults (even from the palm of a hand), ascend to hundreds of meters, and search for targets using thermal imaging or optical sensors. Some drones can be guided to the vicinity of incoming drones by ground radar or acoustic sensors. In the final stage, under the control of the operator via radio or new artificial intelligence, the intercept drones will collide with the target or detonate a small amount of explosives.

In addition, some startups are also testing close-range shooting drones equipped with light machine guns or shotguns, as well as using "capture nets." The principle is the same: using inexpensive drones to hunt inexpensive drones. According to Ukrainian sources, the cost of these defensive drones is only one-tenth that of the Shahed drones. Furthermore, defensive drones are suitable for domestic mass production without the need for expensive imports. For this reason, the Ukrainian model is highly attractive to Gulf countries.

Israel and the United States are also trying new, more economical ways to respond to the threat posed by the Shahed drones. In Ukraine, helicopters will hunt drones at night and shoot down the slower Shahed drones with machine guns. Israel could improve on this method: the Israeli military's "Longbow Apache" attack helicopters are equipped with AN/APG-78 mast-mounted radar, which can search for aerial targets, and then the helicopter can shoot them down.

It is currently difficult to estimate how many Shahed drones Iran has left, as well as how many conventional air defense missiles Gulf countries and the United States have. However, the urgent requests received by Ukraine indicate that at least Gulf countries are very concerned that the duration of Iranian drone attacks may exceed the defensive capabilities of their existing weapon systems. (Translated by Zhong Sirui)