U.S. Media: Iranian Drones Cost the U.S. Military Heavily

Reference News Network reported on April 21 An article titled "How Iran's Cheap, Low-Tech Drones Are Costing the U.S. Dearly" was published on the website of The New York Times on April 18, authored by Ashley Z. C. and Jeremy White, John Ismay. The translation is as follows:

One of the most significant revelations in the U.S.-Iran confrontation is that Iran has proven to be an unexpectedly formidable adversary. In addition to daring to initiate attacks, Iran has also forced the U.S. and its regional allies to confront the rise of cheap drones on the battlefield.

Iranian drones are manufactured using commercial-grade technology, with production costs around $35,000. This cost is quite low compared to the high-tech military interception devices sometimes used to shoot down these drones.

Cheap drones have changed the battlefield dynamics in Ukraine and allowed Iran to exploit gaps in U.S. defense spending—where the U.S. has long prioritized precision but expensive equipment solutions.

The U.S. spent $11.3 billion in just the first six days of its war with Iran. The White House and the Pentagon have not provided updated estimates, but the conservative-leaning think tank American Enterprise Institute estimated in early April that the U.S. has spent about $25 billion to $35 billion in this war, most of which has gone to interception devices. Many missile defense experts are also concerned that the stockpile of interceptors is now at dangerously low levels.

Here are some ways the U.S. and its allies are countering Iranian drones, and why they are so expensive.

· Air Strikes

Defensive air patrols are cost-effective, but due to the broad scope of the conflict, U.S. forces are not always able to conduct such patrols. According to NBC News, Iran has also targeted the early warning aircraft that the U.S. military uses for long-range drone detection.

· Counter-Drone Defense Systems

One ground-based defense system specifically developed by the U.S. and its allies to counter drones is the "Coyote" system. This system can intercept drones at a range of about 9 miles (approximately 14.4 kilometers).

Compared to many other ground-based defense systems available to the U.S. and its allies, the "Coyote" system is much less expensive and has historically been effective in protecting critical assets. However, despite its efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the number of "Coyote" systems procured by the U.S. military in recent years has been relatively low.

· Long-Range Missile Defense Systems

Most long-range defense systems available to the U.S. and its allies for countering drones are much more expensive, as these systems were originally designed to shoot down aircraft and ballistic missiles, not drones.

This misalignment between the U.S. defense system and current combat tactics began after the Cold War. At that time, the anticipated threats were fewer in number, faster, and more technologically advanced missiles, rather than large-scale drone assaults.

· Ground-Based Air Defense Systems

The standard air defense system used by the Army is the "Patriot" surface-to-air missile. Stacey Pettyjohn, a senior fellow and director of defense projects at the Center for a New American Security, stated that air defense training requires personnel to prioritize the use of long-range air defense systems to intercept as many targets as possible, and these systems happen to be the most expensive.

· Ground-Based Artillery

Another piece of equipment that can be considered a last resort is the ground-based artillery system. When a drone is within about a mile of its target or is about to hit the target in less than a minute, equipment like the "Centurion" C-RAM ground-based close-in weapon system can fire rapidly to shoot down the drone. Although this system offers a good cost-performance ratio, it is not the optimal choice due to its very short range.

· Intercepting Drones

A future solution for countering drones could be AI-driven intercepting drones. These intercepting drones could theoretically chase down enemy projectiles at short distances. After the conflict broke out, the U.S. shipped thousands of "Viper" systems to the Middle East, but it is currently unclear whether these systems have been deployed.

Despite the cost imbalance, many in the defense community are genuinely concerned about the depletion of ammunition reserves.

Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said, "What I worry about is that our ammunition will run out... It's not that we can't afford it, but that these munitions will be exhausted before we can replenish them." (Translation/ Liu Xiaoyan)