How low-cost drones are exposing global powers' vulnerabilities

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Axios + Al Mayadeen English
25 May 2024 23:11
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Axios cites a senior US general as saying that the threat of cheap drones is "complex and ubiquitous" and really "transforming what the battlespace looks like."

An Iranian drone flies during an Iranian military exercise in 2020 (AFP)

Low-cost but highly effective drones have become a serious challenge for traditional armies burdened with billions of dollars worth of equipment and systems, especially as asymmetric warfare continues to spread across global warzones and conventional forces try to adopt irregular combat methods.

The United States, today directly engaged in multiple heated zones in the Middle East against forces of the Resistance Axis, is facing a reality where low-budget unmanned systems are exposing vulnerabilities of its decades of military spending, planning, and dominance.

"The threat is complex, it is ubiquitous, and it is really transforming what the battlespace looks like," US Army Under Secretary Gabe Camarillo said, as cited by Axios.

Yemen's successful naval blockade

Among the battle zones that showcased the most how low-budget unmanned systems are shifting the dynamics of warfare was the Red Sea, where the Yemeni Armed Forces have been imposing a naval blockade on the Israeli occupation over its genocide in Gaza and extending the fight to include US-led warships that were deployed in the region to protect the entity.

An earlier report by The Wall Street Journal highlighted Yemen's success in deploying unmanned systems, both ariel and sea drones, and how the country's utilization of the emerging low-cost technologies is changing the landscape of military power and exposing the vulnerability of even the most advanced warships.

The report mentioned that the USS Gerald R. Ford, one of the carriers dispatched by the US to the Red Sea, is the most expensive warship ever built, costing $13 billion. But for the same price as the warship, a nation could purchase 650,000 Iranian-made Shahed drones - a volume that allows a country to comfortably launch dozens of them in a single attack to land a certain hit on even the most advanced battleships.

"Constant barrages paralyze movement on the ground and exhaust air defenses," Axios said, describing one of the ways the weapons can be deployed.

When it comes to surface-to-air missiles, Sanaa has also demonstrated the power of locally-produced missiles.

In just the past seven months, the Yemeni military successfully downed five American MQ-9 Reaper drones over Yemen, each UAV with a price tag of around $30 million, i.e. $150 million combined.

"The most expensive, complex systems, such as the U.S. Global Hawk or Reaper drones, are no longer the types of [unmanned aerial vehicles] that are being acquired in large numbers," said a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies FDD, pointing out that countries are opting for cheaper alternatives that are sometimes more effective based on their needs.

A failed billion dollars interception

Iran today is considered one of the top countries globally in the production of low-cost, highly effective, and advanced drones. Iranian drones have managed to challenge, even defeat in many instances, the most advanced air defense systems in the world.

Last month, Iran carried out the largest attack in history using a combination of low-cost drones and missiles, in the unprecedented retaliatory operation targeting the Israeli occupation. The operation, dubbed Operation True Promise, was in response to "Israel's" aggression on the Islamic Republic's consulate in Syria and its assassination of senior IRGC officers and members in the attack.

Three nuclear powers alongside "Israel"; the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, in addition to seven other regional countries, took part in the interception operation, which cost around $1.2 billion. Despite the attempt, a relatively significant number of the tens of drones and missiles launched by Iran reached and hit their targets.

Way ahead of NATO

The Russian-Ukrainian war witnessed a massive transformation - for either side - after unmanned vehicles became the weapon of choice in both tactical and strategic operations.

Widely available and capable of going into mass production, the multi-use of low-cost drones made them more attractive to buyers.

According to Axios, FPV drones are now the popular choice in Eastern Europe, costing as little as $500.

With the right assembly equipment, the UAVs are capable of destroying much larger and more expensive targets, even tanks, the news site said.

"The U.S. military has an unprecedented technological lead. But other countries are moving very quickly, in terms of adopting tactical capabilities, which are now way ahead of anything that NATO or even the United States has," said Samuel Bendett, an expert with the Center for a New American Security and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Brandon Tseng, a former Navy SEAL and cofounder of Shield AI said, as quoted by Axios, "Prior to 2001, the United States was all about very expensive, exquisite, crewed platforms. Fighter jets, helicopters, you name it. Then from 2001 to 2020, we learned to fight with drones."

"Then from 2020 to now, and for the next 20 years, we're moving toward a world of intelligent, affordable drones," Tseng added.