Ukraine has deployed drone interceptors and a team of unmanned systems experts to assist in protecting American military bases in Jordan, The New York Times writes. As of today, Kyiv has the best experience in the world of downing Iranian-designed drones.
The mission focuses on countering Iranian Shahed attack drones, which are actively used by Iran against the Middle East countries and have been employed by Russia against Ukraine for years.
According to Ukrainian sources, since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, Russia has used around 57,000 such drones.
US requested help, and Ukrainian team departed very next day
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that the request for assistance came from the US on Thursday, and the Ukrainian specialists left for the Middle East the following day. The group is expected to arrive soon in the region to deploy drone countermeasure systems.
This specifically involves Ukrainian drone interceptors used to destroy attack UAVs. Among these systems are reportedly P1-Sun type interceptors.
Intercepting Shaheds with a Patriot missile is too expensive
The production cost of a single Shahed drone is estimated at around $50,000, whereas a Patriot interceptor missile costs over $3 million.
For this reason, Ukraine has actively adapted its own counter-drone systems. These include heavy machine guns, missiles launched from F-16 fighters, electronic warfare tools, and new Ukrainian drone interceptors.
Ukraine offers its technology in exchange for ballistic defense systems
Kyiv is also exploring cooperation with Middle Eastern countries as an opportunity for technological exchange. Ukraine offers its solutions for countering attack drones in return for more advanced air defense systems capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
Additionally, Ukrainian authorities hope to gain diplomatic support from regional partners to pressure Russia to halt its attacks.
“A contrast with Moscow”: Kyiv emphasizes cooperation with the US
Ukraine’s cooperation with the US in the region also carries political significance. Kyiv seeks to demonstrate the difference between its approach and Moscow’s actions.
According to US officials, Russia, during the war, provided Iran with intelligence, including satellite imagery showing the location of US military ships and personnel.
At the same time, Zelenskyy states that current intelligence shows the drones being launched from Iran contain Russian components.
“Thousands of drones each month”: Ukraine has developed large-scale Shahed defense
Analysts estimate that in February alone, Russia launched about 5,000 attack drones and decoy UAVs over Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian air defenses shot down approximately 87% of these targets.
Meanwhile, the war in the Middle East is creating new challenges for Ukraine. According to Zelenskyy and European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius, in the first days of the war, Middle Eastern countries used more than 800 Patriot missiles to intercept over 2,000 Iranian drones and more than 500 ballistic missiles.
Presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn stated that over all the years of the war, Ukraine has received roughly 600 Patriot missiles, which is far fewer than were used in the Middle East in just a few days.
