U.S. allies in Europe and the Middle East are striving to catch up with Ukraine in anti-drone technology, but purchasing its technology is not enough to counter the threat, officials and industry figures say. The war against Iran has exposed shortcomings in the United States and its allies in the Middle East. These defenses were designed to stop missiles and fighter jets, not low-cost attack aircraft that can be sent in massive waves, according to published
Because uA good air defense network should be stratified, meaning it has multiple types of combined defenses. to protect against different types of threats. These systems must work together, and soldiers must know how to use them all, both individually and together, which requires planning and training.
Ukraine, however, has solutions for Iranian-designed one-way attack drones. that you are currently facing. For years, the Ukrainians have fought the Shahed, supplied by Tehran, and home-made Russian versions, and have developed a tiered defense network based on experience and focused on defeating them.
Other countries are recognizing this situation and are reaching out to Ukraine for technology and expertise. on interceptor drones, but this approach is often misguided, focusing too much solely on technology.
“Some think that it is enough to buy interceptors to guarantee protection. But it is not that simple,” declared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a few days ago. And explained that some countries purchased Ukrainian interceptors and then asked for help because they did not have a broader support system. “The key is in the system,” he said. Because “without a system, any interceptor is just a toy, not a real defender,” he clarified.
Ukraine, for example, combines its interceptor drones with specifically designed radars and acoustic sensors to detect hostile drones in a way that some older systems cannot, Zelenskyy noted.
For his part, Ihor Fedirko, executive director of the Ukrainian Council of Defense Industry (UCDI), an organization that represents more than 100 companies, has stated that Your organization and Ukrainian companies have been receiving new requests for technology and expertise since the war with Iran began, coming from Gulf countries, as well as Europe.
He said he was surprised, when speaking with representatives of the Gulf countries, to have to clarify that purchasing the interceptor alone is not enough. He added that countries need to ask themselves: “What’s next?” Specifically, this expert has detailed that It is necessary to consider how they will use the technology they wish to acquire, how they will integrate it into their existing defense systems and whether they can identify appropriate targets.
And at this point in the war “most countries have realized that it is a fundamental capacity that must exist,” Fedirko said. “I think everyone is starting to understand that there is a huge gap. “There is a huge gap in their air defense capabilities,” duck. Now, closing this gap is not something that can be solved with a quick fix, especially when demand exceeds production.
