US and Gulf states race for Ukrainian interceptor drones, 3D printed model costs $1,000 apiece — Shahed-136 kamikaze drone threat spurs rush for interceptors

Ukraine has sent drone interceptors and training crews to the U.S. And its Gulf State allies as the Iran War rumbles on. Specifically, Ukrainian-designed Sting, Bullet, P1-Sun, Octopus 100, and ODIN Win_Hit interceptors could soon be deployed across the Middle East. The lowest-cost model, the Skyfall P1-SUN, costs around $1,000 apiece and is built on a 3D-printed airframe. Al Jazeera reports that the first Ukrainian interceptor devices and military personnel arrived in Jordan as early as last Friday, March 6.

Even as Ukraine struggles against Russia, the democratic Eastern European nation has readily responded to U.S. Requests for “specific support in protection against ‘shaheds’ in the Middle East region,” according to a recent X post by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The embattled president followed up with a post on Thursday, March 12, explaining that he was still waiting for the “approval from the White House” to “sign a big drone production deal.”

Why do the US and its Gulf State allies need Ukrainian armaments?

There’s been a lot of talk about asymmetric warfare since Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago. To persevere so successfully in this David vs Goliath match-up, Ukraine has been highly innovative in fending off and repulsing the larger military using a wide range of typically smaller, cheaper, sometimes lo-tech (and sometimes surprisingly high-tech) responses. Its development of drones and drone defenses is probably among its most notable achievements.

Mainstream news sources note that Gulf States are rapidly eating through their air defense supplies. Contrasts are made between the costs of dispatching Ukrainian drone interceptors ($1,000 to $2,000) vs a Patriot missile (~$4 million). It isn’t all about the cost, though. Supplies of Patriot missiles are also more constrained. Some commentators note that more Patriot missiles have been fired during the Iran war than Ukraine has been supplied during the last four years.

Another thing in the Ukrainian interceptor drone’s favor is that it can be launched and controlled by one person. Patriot missiles need a launcher system and three soldiers for a one-off launch, but around 90 personnel for full sustained operation and maintenance.

Reports suggest that Iran has thousands of its cheap, domestically produced Shahed drones in stock. The same drones that it has been supplying to Russia over recent years. Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy says that “We are ready to help.” But the quid pro quo is that Ukraine should also get access to more advanced U.S. Defense systems.

A probable unintended consequence of the Iran invasion, that U.S. Strategists might not have foreseen, is the recently judged necessity to ease Russian oil sanctions. Ironically, this will probably allow more funds to pour into fuelling Putin’s war machine, and extend the Russia-Ukraine war. In effect, this could prolong Ukraine’s own struggle against these same Shahed drones, and surely even more terrible weapons, as the war grinds on.

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