Preventing Shahed drones from hitting cities requires the use of fighter jets combined with machineguns, military experts have told The National.
Iran has expended more than 3,560 of the weapons in almost two weeks of attacks, but is understood to have a large stockpile and the ability to build hundreds more every week, making the unmanned combat aerial vehicles a long-term threat.
In recent days, videos have emerged showing helicopters with miniguns shooting down drones over Gulf cities. The rapid fire thud has also been heard by residents.
Analysts are advising defence forces to use Ukraine's tactics of placing heavy machineguns or anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) on rooftops, city outskirts and on pickup trucks while using helicopter gunships as an additional layer of defence.
Ukraine has sent personnel to give the hard-won advice to Gulf countries living under the drone barrage.
They will help to set up the best systems available to destroy the drone threat, thereby preserving the more expensive missiles of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) system, which cost $12 million for every interception, and the Patriot missiles, which cost $1 million each.
Although the Shahed-136 drone is relatively slow, with a top speed of 185kph, it carries a 36kg to 50kg warhead and has a 2,500km maximum range. In massed attacks, such drones can cause considerable damage even if only a small percentage get through.
Iran has so far launched more than 1,500 drones towards the UAE and about 90 per cent of them have been shot down or fell into the sea.
Other drones have been intercepted by aircraft, including the eight UK air force Typhoon fighters based in Qatar.
Anti-aircraft artillery
Skyranger 35 is a world-leading air defence system. The mobile, state-of-the-art ground-based AAA gun is made by Rheinmetall in Germany, where the Berlin government has ordered 600 of them.
Its 35mm revolver cannon fires 1,000 rounds a minute with a 4,000-metre range and 360-degree coverage using a powerful AESA radar to target drones, cruise missiles or aircraft. It can be mounted on tracked or six-wheeled armoured vehicles.
Other more readily available systems are the German-made Gepard AAA tank which is mounted with double or quadruple 35mm Oerlikon cannons.
Companies making drone interceptors are also receiving substantial inquiries. The National recently reported on the Latvian-made Blaze drone, which has been tested in Ukraine and could be sent to the region.
Another option when defending against Shahed drone attacks is to use specialist jamming guns that have again been adapted in Ukraine. However, these have limited range and could cause collateral damage to broader jamming defence with proper electronic warfare systems.
Drone fighters
The key forward defence measure is posting fighter jets such as Rafale, F-16s or the UK’s Typhoons.
With their advanced radar they are able track incoming massed drone attacks and manoeuvre behind to shoot them down with their 27mm Mauser cannon or more expensive air-to-air missiles.
In a last-ditch scenario, they can also fly directly over a drone using their jet wash to knock them down, a tactic used by British pilots to take out helicopters in the 1982 Falklands War.
There will be significant input from Ukraine’s F-16 pilots who have been bringing down Shaheds launched daily at their towns and cities.
“The Shaheds fly very slowly in straight lines and they don't take evasive action,” said air power expert Tim Ripley. “The trick is finding them and engaging them far enough away from your populated city, so the debris doesn't fall on to it.”
Other vital elements of a protracted campaign are ammunition stockpiles and the need to preserve interceptors for Iran’s hypersonic missiles.
One system developed by the US is the cost-effective 70mm Hydra laser-guided missile. About 40 of them can be fitted on to an F-15 or F-16 fighter. The BAE Systems Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS II) is another option. They cost about $20,000 each and are significantly cheaper than other options.
But key to successful defence is co-ordinating air defences to deconflict with ground positions and avoid friendly fire incidents, like the one in Kuwait, where three US fighter jets were mistakenly shot down on Monday.
Cottage industry
One significant challenge facing Gulf states is the number of Shaheds that Iran cannot only launch but readily make in its small factories dotted across the country.
Military expert Francis Tusa estimated that a single engineer, surrounded by all the necessary parts, could in ideal conditions make 12 of the drones in a 10-hour shift.
“The Shahed has the advantage that they are cheap and simple,” he said. “You can probably produce them in a garage, so you don't need an expensive factory.
“The motor is simple. The navigation system is likely one small circuit board and the most complex thing is the warhead – and even that's not that complex.”
The other problem is that the Shahed batteries, usually consisting of 10 drones each, can easily be dispersed around Iran and be fired from underground car parks, garages or forest clearings, making their launch sites hard to detect.
Ultimately, what the military call an “integrated air defence” of jets, radars, missiles and machineguns will afford the best protection against drone swarms, with constant adaptations to meet changing threats.
