After the war between US-Israel and Iran started, there were speculations that this war would end within three to four weeks, but now the war not only seems to be dragging on but is also becoming destructive. Gulf countries are also burning in the fire of war. Iran’s Shahed drone has caused the most destruction in the Middle East. Ukraine has come forward to save them. Which has been facing these drones during the war with Russia for the last four years.
Zelensky’s agreement with Gulf countries
Let us tell you that only last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had visited the Middle East. During this period, Ukraine has made historic agreements with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Ukrainian President Zelensky has offered to share with these countries the experience Ukraine gained in the war with Russia, especially the expertise in dealing with Iranian drones. Under the agreement with these Gulf countries, Ukraine will share with them ‘Sting’ interceptors and lessons learned during the war.
Ukraine has sent more than 200 anti-drone experts to the Middle East to help Jordan and Kuwait deal with Iran’s Shahed drones. So that these countries can be helped in dealing with Tehran’s drone attacks. The question arises why Ukraine has suddenly become so special for the Gulf countries. In fact, this is a direct economic and financial cost of the war. Another thing that has become clear from the war in the Middle East is that attacking has become cheaper but the burden of expenditure on defense has increased.
Why is Iran’s Shahed drone special?
Iran has used its most important weapon Shahed in large numbers on American targets. Its unit price is also around Rs 18 to 28 lakh. Thousands of its units can be produced in a month. According to the report of Wall Street Journal, these drones caused damage to America both militarily and economically. The estimated loss to the US was up to $2.9 billion (Rs 2.41 lakh crore). Whereas to counter them, it had to take the help of expensive interceptor missiles. This means that shooting down these drones with expensive air defense systems is a very loss-making deal financially.
Ukraine searched
Ukraine, which was fighting a war with Russia, also had to face a similar situation. Iran had provided these Shahed drones to Russia for use against Ukraine. With their help many big targets in Ukraine were bombed. Ukraine had sought help from Western countries, but when sufficient weapons were not available to fight, it took the lead on its own. After two years of hard work, Ukraine made Shahed Killer Drone. Ukraine’s strategy is clear, cheap drones should be countered with even cheaper and smarter drones.
Why are Ukraine’s drones special?
– Thousands of Russian Shahed drones have been shot down since mid-2025 with Sting and Bullet interceptors. Their success rate is 70-90 percent.
– The speed of Sting-in interceptor is 315 to 340 km, it can fly at a height of 10000 feet. If the target is not detected, it can return to its base.
– These interceptors are controlled by operators, who track them on monitors through FPV (first-person view) goggles.
Whereas the Bullet runs on a jet engine and four rotors. It uses AI to detect targets. It flies at a speed of 130-309 km.