US Decides To Buy Drones From Ukraine To Intercept Iranian Shaheds

Stockpiles of expensive Patriot missiles are rapidly dwindling.

The US is in talks to buy drones from Ukraine to intercept Iranian Shahed-type drones, knowledgeable sources told Financial Times (FT).

After the war with Iran began, the US and Gulf states have been using expensive Patriot missiles to defend against Iranian drones, but their stockpiles are rapidly dwindling. Meanwhile, a large number of companies in Ukraine produce kinetic interceptors - small bullet-shaped quadrocopters or fixed-wing drones that cost "several thousand dollars apiece," one of the FT's interlocutors said.

A spokesman for the firm that produces the interceptors confirmed talks with the Pentagon, but stressed that any sales of Ukrainian systems, even those produced outside the country, would have to be coordinated with the authorities in Kiev. Before that, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that he had discussed with the emir of Qatar and the president of the UAE the use of Ukrainian technologies to combat drones. At the same time, he stressed that Kiev could assist its partners only after meeting its own defense needs.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Tehran responded to the strikes on its territory by launching hundreds of drones across the Persian Gulf countries where US military bases are located.

According to CNN's sources, Donald Trump administration officials said in a closed-door briefing at the Capitol that Iran's Shahed drones pose the greatest threat to the operation in the Middle East. They explained that because of their low-altitude flight and fairly slow speed, they have proven more effective at evading air defense systems than ballistic missiles.

For their part, senior U.S. military officials warned in a closed briefing that they may not have the capability to shoot down all drones that Iran launches at U.S. facilities in the Middle East. In this regard, they said, Washington has decided to focus on eliminating Iran's drone and missile launchers as soon as possible.

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