From Fox News: Iran is waging a mass drone campaign across the Middle East, unleashing waves of low-cost, one-way attack drones also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), against Western-linked targets to impose “exponential cost on the U.S.,” a defense expert has warned.
As Tehran reportedly launched thousands of Shahed drones across the region and Iranian state media shared footage of underground stockpiles, Cameron Chell, CEO of drone maker and tech company Draganfly, said Iran’s strategy is designed to force high-end defenses to counter cheap aerial threats.
“Even a hundred of these drones in the hands of a decentralized unit can cause terror in a neighboring state like never before imagined,” Chell told Fox News Digital. “The Iranians cannot win the war with these drones, but like the [communist] Viet Cong [during the Vietnam War], they have an asymmetric capability that can prolong this war and create political pressure.”
“Iran can drive terror in unimaginable ways and drive exponential costs on the U.S. side, having to target these small, very hard-to-detect drone units,” he added.
Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin suggested Monday, “It seems the missile defense systems (Patriot, THAAD, Arrow) for the most part are working to intercept the ballistic and cruise missiles, but the Shahed drones are managing to get through the layered defenses. The people who have the most experience with anti drone tactics having faced these Iranian Shahed drones that were provided by Tehran to Russia are the Ukrainians. Someone might want to call them.”
It seems the missile defense systems (Patriot, THAAD, Arrow) for the most part are working to intercept the ballistic and cruise missiles, but the Shahed drones are managing to get through the layered defenses. The people who have the most experience with anti drone tactics…
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) March 3, 2026
Citing a report by Bloomberg, X user @Microinteracti1 wrote:
The Bloomberg framing nails the ugly math: $20,000 drones can force the U.S. to spend $4 million per interceptor, and the war can turn into a stamina contest where the cheaper side wins by simply not running out first.
The U.S. is heading into the same drone reality that has punished Ukraine for years. The difference is that Ukraine now has a black belt in this fight, because they have shot down thousands of drones with layered, cost smart defenses: jammers, guns, short range systems, cheap interceptors, and relentless adaptation. The lesson is simple. You do not beat mass drones with gold plated missiles alone, you beat them with volume, improvisation, and economics.
So the question is whether Washington will learn fast, or pay retail for every single incoming drone while Iran keeps sending them. What is the quickest way for the U.S. to copy Ukraine’s playbook on cheap drone defense?
The Bloomberg framing nails the ugly math: $20,000 drones can force the U.S. to spend $4 million per interceptor, and the war can turn into a stamina contest where the cheaper side wins by simply not running out first.
The U.S. is heading into the same drone reality that has… pic.twitter.com/7b02By1HqB
— Gandalv (@Microinteracti1) March 3, 2026
Griffin shared a post by X user Air Power, who announced:
The “Tank Killer” has a new hobby: killing drones! In the ongoing conflict b/w the Gulf States and Iran, the AH-64 Apache is proving to be the ultimate Shahed-136 killer. While traditional fighter jets and SAMs often struggle against “low and slow” Iranian drones hiding beneath the radar horizon, the Apache with its Longbow radar is in its absolute element. And it isn’t just about spotting them, either – the helicopter’s 30mm chain gun is ideal for swatting drones with terrifying, cost-effective efficiency. For countries like Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE, the Apache isn’t just another attack helo anymore; it’s a mobile, agile, and lethal air defense battery.
The “Tank Killer” has a new hobby: killing drones! In the ongoing conflict b/w the Gulf States and Iran, the AH-64 Apache is proving to be the ultimate Shahed-136 killer. While traditional fighter jets and SAMs often struggle against “low and slow” Iranian drones hiding beneath… pic.twitter.com/C0VeO0X3Q6
— Air Power (@RealAirPower1) March 3, 2026
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