Iran's Shahed-series drones, once a familiar threat over Ukraine, are now appearing across the Middle East, with several Gulf states reporting strikes over the past four days. The relatively inexpensive but destructive unmanned aircraft have hit buildings and military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, raising concerns about a wider drone campaign by Tehran.
Videos circulating online appear to show a delta-wing drone approaching a residential tower in Bahrain at night. The aircraft's distinctive loud engine, often compared to the sound of a lawnmower, can be heard before it crashes into the building, sending debris and flames across nearby balconies.
According to media reports, more than 1,000 drones have been launched toward Gulf countries since the United States and Israel began strikes on Iran over the weekend. The UAE said Monday that it faced 689 drones and intercepted 645 of them, meaning about 44 managed to get through air defences.
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The Gaurdian report, quoting defence analysts, say many of these drones are likely the Shahed-136, a low-cost Iranian “loitering munition” designed to overwhelm air-defence systems. The drone measures about 3.5 metres in length with a wingspan of 2.5 metres and carries an explosive payload of roughly 50 kilograms. While the blast may not collapse large buildings, it can cause significant damage and create widespread panic.
Defence experts said that the drones are relatively slow and noisy, but their range of up to 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles) allows them to reach targets across the Gulf. They typically fly along pre-programmed routes at low altitude to evade radar, although evidence from the Ukraine war suggests operators may also be able to guide them remotely and alter their course shortly before impact.
The Shahed-136 was developed by Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center, an Iranian company the United States says is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The drone first drew international attention in July 2021, when it was used in an attack on the Israeli-linked oil tanker Mercer Street, killing a British and a Romanian national. Analysts also believe similar drones may have been used in the 2019 attacks on Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities.
The weapon became widely known after Russia began deploying Shahed drones in Ukraine in late 2022. Initially imported from Iran, the design was later shared with Moscow, allowing Russia to manufacture them domestically at a factory in Yelabuga on the Volga River.
Russia has frequently used large drone swarms, sometimes launching hundreds of Shaheds alongside cruise and ballistic missiles, to overwhelm Ukraine's air defences. By contrast, most of the drones seen in the Gulf recently appear to have struck targets individually rather than in large coordinated swarms.
In Ukraine, the drones have proven especially effective against fixed infrastructure such as power plants, contributing to severe electricity shortages during winter months. A similar tactic could be used in the Middle East. On Monday, a drone attack sparked a fire at Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura refinery, the country's largest oil-processing facility, forcing it to shut temporarily. Although officials did not confirm the weapon used, the damage was consistent with a Shahed-type strike.
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Despite their destructive potential, the drones are relatively cheap to produce. Experts estimate each Shahed costs between $30,000 and $50,000, far less than the air-defence missiles used to intercept them. The United States and its allies typically rely on fighter aircraft or systems such as Patriot interceptors, which can cost many times more.
“The threat from one-way attack UAVs has remained persistent,” Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a briefing on Monday.
“Our systems have proven effective in countering these platforms, engaging targets rapidly.”
However, the cost imbalance poses a long-term challenge. According to Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, intercepting the drones is significantly more expensive than producing them. Grieco, as per the Guardian report, estimates that for every $1 Iran spends building a Shahed drone, it costs the UAE roughly $20 to $28 to shoot it down using conventional air-defence systems.
“If this goes on longer, they're probably going to have to find more sustainable ways of doing this,” she said. Kyle Glen, an investigator with the London-based Center for Information Resilience, told the publication the current conflict highlights why Iran invested heavily in the technology. “A war like this is literally what Iran built them for.”
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