Iranian drones have become one of the greatest threats to it's rivals, including U.S. and its allies in the Middle East, reflected in the 2019 Iranian drone and cruise missile attack on Saudi Arabia’s largest oil processing facility.

The improving performance of Iran’s UAVs as well as the burgeoning expertise of their Iranian controllers is turning them into a significant strategic threat, especially to the US and Israel.

Iran has been developing and expanding its Unmanned Air Vehicles fleets ever since the 1980s. They now comprise a wide spectrum of types that range in size and function from aircraft size, high flying reconnaissance UAVs to small, low-cost “suicide” ones.

Iranian drones reached in the depth of Saudi with complete surprise

The surprise attack by Iran’s UAVs on September 14, 2019, against two of Aramco’s main oil facilities in Saudi Arabia surprised most if not all Intelligence services in the West (including Israel’s Mossad).

Less than 30 low-cost Iranian UAVs caused tremendous damage to two of Saudi Arabia’s key oil installations. This brilliantly conceived operation, a veritable “mini-Pearl Harbor” used mainly of the Shahed 136 suicide UAVs.

The Iranian drones reached their targets in the depth of Saudi Arabia’s hinterland with complete surprise, remaining undetected by Saudi Air defenses. Hence, no attempt was made to intercept them. Their precision in hitting their targets was exceptional.

Iranian drones are changing the battlefields

Iran’s drone production lines now extend beyond the country’s borders, which creates a much more complicated picture for U.S and its allies.

In several regions with a heightened threat level, such as Eastern Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and Central Asia, if not also East Africa, the demand for drone systems only continues to grow.

This is mainly because the Iranian drones have proven themselves to be cost-effective assets that significantly change the power balance in favor of a country with limited military resources, especially in asymmetrical conflicts.

US acknowledges Iranian drones are far better than theirs

Iran has taken air superiority from U.S., acknowledged Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the Marine Corps general in charge of the U.S. CENTCOM, in a House Armed Services Committee hearing last month.

How the owners of F-35 and F-22 consider their only challenge to be Iranian drones?

With a little scrutiny of Western military industrial policies, it can be found that they are more concerned with sophistication than economic efficiency. NATO equipment must first and foremost be beautiful in order to play its role in psychological operations. The European Crusaders were able to achieve victories in the early days using the same method, but later on, with the revelation of the facts on the ground, those same beautiful and flashy equipment became a burden for them.

However, the defense strategy of Iran is based on the gained experience, based on the methods that make it possible to achieve valuable victories with small expenses, and one of these strategies is "asymmetric air battles".

The philosophy of using drones

The main issue in building a supersonic aircraft is the material that can reduce the pressure on the pilot. However, using such material that is also radar-resistant, is very expensive. If they want to maintain the pressure reduction and also incorporate radar resistance, the production cost will be extremely high, and the research and development cost will be equivalent to the annual budget of several countries. However, with the passage of time and technological advancements, the radar resistance will eventually become obsolete.

This very issue has prompted many countries to pursue the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, in which the issue of pressure on the pilot is no longer a concern. Such a simpler and lighter shell, in addition to maintaining radar resistance, demands simpler propulsion systems. Iran, as a pioneer in this field, began developing its own drones in the mid-1980s and, despite sanctions and limited resources, has managed to achieve remarkable expertise in the construction of these aircraft over the course of three decades. Today, it can produce the world's cheapest drones with the best performance and share its manufacturing methods with other countries.

Despite the superior characteristics of other UAVs, how have Iran's simple UAVs taken away the air superiority from the US?

Due to the low production and maintenance costs, Iran can produce its drones in very high volumes and use them in various operations. Although some capabilities may decrease compared to foreign models, it can still be considered a military superiority from another perspective. For example, the advanced Falco drone (made in Italy) with a flight endurance of 20 hours, a maximum speed of 200 kilometers, and a payload capacity of 70 kilograms costs around 5 to 7 million dollars, while the Iranian-made Mohajer 6 drone has a similar speed, a flight endurance of 12 hours, and a payload capacity of 50 kilograms, its price is significantly lower than the Falco drone, costing less than 500,000 dollars, making it a cost-effective option for military operations.

[caption id="attachment_2066" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Iranian Mohajer-6 Drones[/caption]

As per this calculation, Iran can land about 600 kg of ammunition or 24 anti-armor missiles on enemy positions with a squadron of 12 Mohajer 6 drones, while the owner of the Falcon drone has to carry out such operations with a $600 million gamble on his assets.

Comparing to  larger drones, the advanced American MQ9 drone, priced at around $25 to $30 million, can carry up to one ton of military equipment at a maximum speed of 400 km, up to 3,000 kilometers, while the Kaman 22 UAV with similar specifications (although capable of carrying 300 kilograms of ammunition), has a much lower price than the aforementioned aircraft.

With these capabilities and the Islamic Republic's investment in recent years, hundreds of various drones are delivered to Iran's armed units each year, increasing Iran's drone count beyond that of many world superpowers, including those of its regional allies. Therefore, Iran can repeat the memories of World War II air battles and earn the title of the world's most powerful strike air force by employing hundreds of combat and suicide drones in each operation.