Middle East tensions: Iran's $20k drones take on defences of US worth $4 million

Just three days into the conflict, the Iran war has become attritional. Waves of drone attacks by the Islamic Republic are putting pressure on the defences of the US and its partners from Bahrain to the UAE, depleting weapons stockpiles. The outcome of the fight may depend on which side runs out of munitions first.

Shahed-136 one-way attack drones, small, rudimentary cruise missiles, continued to pound targets across West Asia on Monday. US-made Patriot air-defence missiles have been largely successful in stopping the Iranian missiles, with interception rates over 90%, according to the UAE.

But using $4 million missiles to destroy $20,000 drones illustrates a problem that has haunted military planners since the Ukraine war: The cheap weapons can chew up resources meant for much more complex threats.

(Bloomberg)