Al Root
The war in the Middle East has brought the spotlight to military technologies, specifically Iran's drone program. The country's Shahed drones have proved to be a difficult problem for the American military.
Shahed-style drones are responsible for most of the American casualties in the current conflict. But Iran's ability to launch its drones is waning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday, noting that launches were down by 83% since the start of the war.
What Are Iran's Shahed Drones?
The Shahed unmanned aerial vehicle is a car-sized kamikaze drone that costs tens of thousands of dollars and is used by Iranian forces. With a wingspan of about 8 feet, it can fly about 100 miles per hour, traveling about 1,000 miles to deliver, perhaps, a hundred pounds of explosive, capable of completely destroying a car or collapsing a small residential building.
It's a relatively simple, yet terrifying device. "The technology is kind of Radio Shack....cheap," says AeroDynamic Advisory managing director and aerospace consultant Richard Aboulafia. "Thousands launched, a few dozen get through," added Aboluafia.
Does the U.S. Have Drones?
The U.S. has attack drones, including LUCAS, short for low-cost uncrewed combat attack system, which can be built by SpektreWorks, a privately held, Arizona-based aerospace start-up, or other U.S. manufacturers.
Losing any American lives will drive the U.S. military to push for more unmanned vehicles, says Adrian Helfert, CIO of multi-asset strategies at Westwood. "I would expect to see a whole lot more spending on autonomous battle solutions."
The U.S. also has loitering, guided munitions, such as AeroVironment's Switchblade, that can be used for different combat objectives.
There are publicly traded players, too. Funds at Westwood hold drone technology companies Kratos Defense & Security Solutions and AeroVironment. And most large defense contractors have unmanned vehicle programs that span land, sea, and air.
Autonomous solutions were also the driving force behind President Trump's 2025 "Unleashing American Drone Dominance" executive order, designed to speed the production, acquisition, and use of all types of drones in the U.S. military.
How Many Drones Does Iran Have Left?
The questions of just how many Iran has and how many it can build are tough to answer, says Vertical Research Partners analyst Rob Stallard.
Iran has manufacturing capacity, explains Capital Alpha Partners analyst Byron Callan. Russian and Chinese parts, including everything from warheads to electronics, remain key to the supply chain, enabling drone operation and lethality.
The use of drones in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and the Middle East has created the problem of ' missile math.' It's expensive to shoot down a $40,000 drone with a $4 million interceptor missile.
That will also drive investment in counter-drone technology, adds Helfert. Antidrone technologies include tracking, GPS jamming, lasers, and conventional "kinetic" projectiles.
Of course, with jamming technology comes anti-jamming technology. Warfighting is a never-ending escalation in search of technical superiority.
There is no doubt that most American weapon systems are superior to Iranian ones. Now, America's military has to neutralize the drone threat.
Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
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March 10, 2026 08:56 ET (12:56 GMT)
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