In a remarkable development in the field of air confrontation, the Wall Street Journal revealed that low-cost Iranian drones have proven remarkable effectiveness in confronting American air defense systems, most notably the THAAD system, despite their technical simplicity.
The newspaper pointed out that attacks carried out by Iranian drones resulted in the loss of THAAD radars in both Jordan and the UAE, which reflects the ability of these aircraft to target sensitive components within advanced defense systems.
The report added that Iran launched hundreds of drone attacks within a short period on countries in the Gulf, causing damage to American bases and vital infrastructure, and posing serious challenges to air defense systems in the region.
The newspaper pointed out that these drones, despite their small size, are difficult to intercept and easy to produce in large quantities, which gives them an operational advantage on battlefields, even if their destructive effect is less compared to missiles.
It also showed that these aircraft succeeded in targeting civilian and vital sites, including airports, ports, and major facilities, which contributed to undermining the image of security stability in some Gulf countries.
She explained that Iran is increasingly relying on the “drowning” tactic, by launching large numbers of drones or carrying out complex attacks that combine them with missiles, with the aim of bypassing and confusing air defense capabilities, which explains the success of some strikes in penetrating these systems.
The report concluded that this development raises increasing concerns about the effectiveness of US air defense systems in confronting non-traditional threats, and opens the door to broader reviews in the air protection strategies of the United States and its allies.
