The Hill: U.S. military faces difficulty countering Iranian drones

Pars Today – The American news website The Hill has acknowledged that the U.S. military is facing serious difficulties in countering Iranian drones.

According to Pars Today, quoting IRNA, The Hill reported that as the war enters its second week, the U.S. military and its allies across West Asia are struggling to deal with swarms of Iranian drones.

The outlet added that Pentagon officials admitted in closed-door briefings with lawmakers last week that successive waves of Iranian drones have been penetrating air defenses and targeting U.S. forces and bases in the Persian Gulf region.

As reported by The Hill, to intercept Iran’s Shahed-136 drones — a relatively low-cost weapon produced quickly at around $20,000 per unit — the U.S. armed forces have been forced to use expensive Patriot and THAAD interceptors, which take years and millions of dollars to manufacture.

The American publication continued that Donald Trump, on Friday, met with major defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin (producer of THAAD interceptors) and Raytheon (manufacturer of Patriot systems). During the meeting, Trump claimed that the contractors had agreed to quadruple production of their so-called high-value weaponry.

However, The Hill noted that even with an accelerated production program, completing such weapons could take up to two years, and defense experts warn that Iranian drone strikes could disrupt the Persian Gulf region for weeks or even months, potentially depleting U.S. ammunition reserves.

Quoting Kelly Grieco, senior fellow at the Stimson Center, The Hill wrote, “Destroying Iran’s drone production line is extremely difficult because they can be assembled practically anywhere.”