On the latest episode of the Daily Mail’s War on Tape, foreign correspondent Chris Pleasance goes under the hood of Iran’s Shahed drone, revealing what makes it such a feared weapon and why only Ukraine has the expertise to counter it.
In response to joint airstrikes by the United States and Israel on Iranian targets, Iran has unleashed a barrage of Shahed drones targeting both military and civilian infrastructure throughout the Gulf region.
Despite the presence of advanced missile defense systems employed by the U.S. and its allies, these relatively rudimentary drones have successfully hit American bases, luxury hotels, and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
Host Pleasance explains that the drone’s simplicity is the secret to its lethality. Equipped with a wooden propeller and a reverse engineered model aircraft engine, the Shahed flies low enough to evade even the most sophisticated radar defences.
Foreign correspondent Chris Pleasance has gone under the hood of Iran’s Shahed drone, revealing what makes it such a feared weapon
Despite America and its allies having access to advanced missile interceptor systems, the primitive drones have managed to strike US bases, five-star hotels and oil refineries
Host Pleasance explains that the drone’s simplicity is the secret to its lethality
Each Shahed drone costs a mere $35,000, a stark contrast to the $4 million price tag of the Patriot interceptor missiles used to destroy them. This cost-effective strategy allows Iran to engage in an economic conflict with the U.S. that is as impactful as its physical offensive.
“The ability to strike targets from a distance for just $35,000 was unprecedented until the Shahed was developed,” a foreign correspondent noted.
For comparison, a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile costs approximately $2 million, while Russia’s KH101 is estimated at $13 million.
While these missiles are far more advanced and pack a significantly larger explosive punch than the Shahed, their high cost and complexity mean they are only available in limited quantities.
‘Iran already fired a thousand Shaheds in just the first week of the war. Simply put, the US and its allies in the Gulf will run out of things to shoot down the Shaheds with way before Iran runs out of drones.
‘On top of which, US interceptors were only ever designed to shoot down high flying, fast moving missiles. They were not meant to deal with low flying, slow moving drones. That’s a blind spot in US defences.
‘The drone’s lack of sophistication, in a bizarre way, has become its best feature.’
Only Ukraine has real experience fighting Shaheds. Before the Iran war, the Islamic Republic sold thousands to Russia, which used them to systematically target Ukraine’s power grid and energy infrastructure.
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Realising they were exposed, Ukraine has pioneered a new kind of warfare — drone versus drone combat.
Pleasance argues this approach has ‘flipped the economic logic of using Shaheds completely on its head.’
He said: ‘Ukrainian interceptors cost just $2,500, they can fly up to 200 miles an hour and were specifically built to destroy the Shaheds.
‘Using a mixture of pilot controls and AI, interceptors can detect Iranian drones much better than traditional missile defences.
‘These drones can slam into Shaheds because of their speed and shape. This means they don’t have to carry much explosive, keeping them cheap and easy to make.
‘First unveiled in 2024, it is now thought Ukraine is capable of producing a hundred of these drones every day. Ukraine claims to have shot down 80% of the drones Russia has launched at it.’
Both the UAE and Qatar have reportedly contacted Ukraine to buy some of its new drones. Last week, President Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian drone interceptor teams have been dispatched to Jordan at Washington’s request.
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