The United States is adopting a new approach to warfare, deploying low-cost drones in combat for the first time. This tactic, previously unseen in U.S. military operations, mirrors strategies observed during the conflict in Ukraine, where Russia has extensively used Iranian-designed Shahed drones.

A New Era of Warfare

One of the key weapons being deployed is the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, a one-way attack drone with a price tag of approximately $35,000. This represents a significant cost reduction compared to sophisticated precision missiles like Tomahawk cruise missiles traditionally used by the U.S. military.

Responding to Drone Barrages

The deployment began early in the U.S.-Israeli response to Iranian actions, now in its fifth week. Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. forces in the Middle East, has overseen the initial use of these drones. Western militaries have been closely monitoring the drone warfare that has characterized the war in Ukraine since February 2022.

The Ukraine Precedent

The conflict in Ukraine demonstrated that expensive air defense missiles are often ineffective against large-scale drone attacks. Simpler drones can still effectively target critical infrastructure, allowing for the preservation of more advanced and scarce missile systems for high-value targets.

A Shift in Tactics

“This is the first time the U.S. has used large numbers of low-cost drones,” stated Robert Tollast, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. Mark Cancian, a senior advisor with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted that the past few weeks “reflect a change in tactics” for both operations targeting Iran and the defense of U.S. bases and allies in the Gulf.

Balancing Cost and Capability

While Ukraine has been forced to prioritize cost-effectiveness due to limited access to advanced weaponry, the U.S. benefits from a broader range of options. Frederik Mertens, a strategic analyst with TNO, emphasized that the U.S. doesn’t need to solely rely on low-cost drones, possessing significant stockpiles of powerful, yet affordable, bombs.

Leveraging Technological Advantages

The U.S. is leveraging its advanced capabilities, including space-based navigation and on-board computing, to enhance the effectiveness of its drones. This provides an advantage over Iran and Russia, who have been upgrading their drone technology, including the Shahed-136 and Shahed-238 models, to improve their speed and resilience to jamming.

The Iranian Model

“The Russians took this brilliantly simple Iranian idea of a super cheap platform for a bomb, the Shahed-136, and kept souping it up,” Tollast explained. Iran later developed the Shahed-238, a faster iteration of the original design. Both countries have focused on improving their drones’ resistance to electronic warfare and reducing their visibility.

While the U.S. hasn’t yet deployed drones on the same scale as Russia – which launched nearly 1,000 drones at Ukraine in a single 24-hour period in late March – the adoption of this tactic represents a significant evolution in U.S. military strategy. The key, according to Mertens, is finding “the best mix of systems considering your own and your enemies’ capabilities.”