As the war between the United States, Israel and Iran enters its third week, the use of low-cost drones has emerged as a central feature of the conflict, reflecting how inexpensive unmanned systems are increasingly influencing modern warfare.
Bombing has continued across Iran and the region since the conflict escalated, while Tehran has responded by launching swarms of low-cost kamikaze drones across Israel and Gulf states, targeting military facilities and energy infrastructure. The attacks have forced the US and its regional allies to activate air defence systems designed primarily to counter more advanced missiles and aircraft.
Against this backdrop, another category of small unmanned systems, first-person-view (FPV) drones, has become the latest tactical weapon to enter the war.
A video circulating widely on social media shows a first-person-view (FPV) drone striking a building near Victory Base, close to Baghdad International Airport in Iraq, possibly the first known instance of an Iranian-backed militia using such a munition in the current conflict.
The footage shows the FPV drone flying over the area near the base before slamming into a structure, causing an explosion.
What are FPV drones?
FPV drones are small aerial drones equipped with onboard cameras that transmit live video feeds directly to an operator’s goggles, headset or mobile device. The pilot sees exactly what the drone sees and guides it manually toward a target.
According to analysis by the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, the technology enables highly precise manoeuvring and real-time control, allowing operators to carry out targeted strikes in complex combat environments.
Originally developed for recreational flying and drone racing, FPV drones are now often fitted with explosive payloads and used in one-way attack missions, sometimes described as “kamikaze” strikes.
From hobby technology to battlefield weapon
The technology behind FPV drones gained popularity in drone racing during the early 2010s, where pilots controlled aircraft through a live camera feed to navigate obstacle courses at high speed.
The same features that made them effective in racing, speed, agility and immersive control, have also made them useful in combat.
According to the MP-IDSA, FPV drones allow soldiers to strike targets such as bunkers, trenches or vehicles with high precision.
The drones are usually built using commercially available components and consist of four main systems, a carbon-fibre frame, a flight system including motors and controllers, a power system powered by lithium-polymer batteries, and the FPV system that transmits video to the operator.
Why they are attractive for militaries
FPV drones have gained prominence in recent years largely because of their widespread use in the Russia-Ukraine war, where both sides have used them extensively for tactical strikes.
Their main advantage is cost. Unlike sophisticated missiles or large military drones, FPV drones can be assembled quickly using off-the-shelf components or 3D-printed parts and fitted with customised explosive payloads.
This makes them relatively inexpensive while still offering high precision and manoeuvrability.
Analysts say they can function as fast, guided explosives capable of reaching targets that are difficult for traditional weapons to hit, such as soldiers hiding in trenches or bunkers.
Role of drones in the current conflict
The ongoing confrontation between Iran, Israel and the US has already highlighted the growing importance of unmanned systems.
Tehran has launched large numbers of Shahed drones in retaliation for strikes that it says have killed more than 1,400 people in the country, including former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The drone barrages have targeted military installations and energy infrastructure across Israel and Gulf states. The United States says it is gradually degrading Iran’s capacity to launch attacks, but the continued drone strikes have forced Washington and its allies to deploy advanced air defence systems such as THAAD and Patriot interceptors to counter the incoming threats.
These systems rely on radar and expensive interceptor missiles to detect and destroy incoming drones and rockets.
Military specialists told the Financial Times that Iran has managed to sustain its drone campaign by combining intelligence inputs, satellite imagery and lessons learned from conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war.
Cheap weapons, costly defence
One reason drones have become a key tool in the conflict is the imbalance between their cost and the systems used to counter them.
Low-cost attack drones can be launched in large numbers, while intercepting them often requires sophisticated and expensive defence systems. According to The Wall Street Journal, the conflict has already consumed large numbers of US interceptor missiles deployed across the region.
Analysts say this cost imbalance is pushing militaries worldwide to rethink battlefield strategy.
As the MP- IDSA notes, FPV drones and similar systems demonstrate how modern warfare is increasingly shifting toward large numbers of relatively inexpensive platforms that can deliver precise strikes at scale.