Iran’s deadly attack on Kuwait airport has raised questions over how to defend against sophisticated threats launched from short range.
While Kuwait fields advanced Patriot missile batteries and hosts six US military bases, experts argue that a combination of geography, limited interceptors and evolving Iranian tactics has created vulnerabilities that even modern air-defence networks struggle to overcome.
A total of 30 Shahed-136 drones and missiles were aimed at Kuwait on Wednesday, with at least one drone getting through defences. It struck a terminal at Kuwait International Airport, causing a large explosion. One Indian was killed and 63 people were injured.
Tyranny of topography
Kuwait City lies less than 90km from Iran's nearest border, which gives its interceptor installations limited time – perhaps less than a minute – to react to Iranian attacks.
"With some of the attacks on Kuwait, they may literally have seconds, perhaps as little as 45 seconds, to respond,” said military analyst Francis Tusa.
Ground-based air defences must identify an incoming threat, determine its trajectory, and launch an interceptor all before impact.
Even though Kuwait has shot down 97 missiles and 283 drones, its small size compounds the problem. Once a missile penetrates the outer defensive perimeter, it can reach key military or civilian targets within seconds.
Drone complex
Footage of the airport attack shows the outline of the delta wing of a Shahed-136 descending on the terminal before its 36kg warhead detonates.
While many countries have rightly focused on countering bigger threats, drones present a different problem, said missile expert Jeremy Binnie of the defence intelligence company Janes.
“The airport was hit as part of quite a large attack where the other weapons appear to have been intercepted,” he said. “The more weapons used, the more likely some are going to ‘leak’ through.”
While the airport was well defended from ballistic missile attack with Patriot batteries around Kuwait city, “there are always going to be gaps in the short-range air defences needed to shoot down attack drones”, he added.
Furthermore, drones often fly at lower altitudes and can approach from unexpected directions, making them more difficult to detect and engage.
Kuwait is believed to have taken advice from air defence specialists from Ukraine, a country that fights off Russian attacks of more than 100 drones almost daily.
Patriot depletion
While Kuwait has US bases housing about 13,500 personnel, which will have their own Patriot systems, questions have been raised about the state’s supply, said Mr Tusa.
With an estimated 1,200 Patriots fired during the Iran war and America’s defence industrial base able to produce about 700 a year, the resources are becoming more depleted and hence more expensive. A single PAC-3 interceptor now costs up to $10 million.
Iran has sought to exploit that imbalance by investing heavily in lower-cost systems that can be produced in large numbers.
Layered defences
The war in Ukraine has accelerated global interest in layered air-defence systems that combine interceptors with electronic warfare, machineguns, specialist counter-drone technologies and even lasers.
“Air defence is ultimately a systems challenge requiring the seamless integration of radars, communications networks, command centres and weapons platforms,” said Tom Withington, of the Rusi think tank.
Even the best interceptor is of limited value if operators receive insufficient warning, or if information is not distributed quickly enough across the network, the expert said. “For smaller states such as Kuwait, building resilience therefore requires investment not only in missiles but also in sensors, communications and command-and-control infrastructure,” he added.
Concrete protection
Questions are also being raised about force protection and infrastructure hardening with several aircraft damaged during the war, including two Italian Typhoon fighters.
Hardening facilities, dispersing assets and improving protective infrastructure can reduce the damage caused when attacks penetrate defensive systems, said Mr Tusa. “The question has to be raised of why Kuwait does not have hardened cover for its aircraft rather than mere sun protectors.”
After six American troops were killed during an attack on Kuwait early in the war, US Congressman Pat Ryan and 12 fellow Democrats called for an immediate investigation into force protection failures.
In a letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the lawmakers raised concerns about vulnerabilities for US personnel stationed in Kuwait.
It quoted a serviceman stating that his unit “was unprepared to provide any defence for itself, it was not a fortified position”. When asked specifically what fortifications were in place, another service member replied: “I would put it in the ‘none’ category, from a drone defence capability.”
Experts said Kuwait, which had reopened its airport on Monday following a month-long shutdown, could turn to Ukraine’s experience to introduce drone interceptors and other systems to defend the key national asset.
