SAEDNEWS: Next, we'll review a Wall Street Journal article titled "Every Nation Is Racing to Copy Iran’s Deadly Shahed Drones," and try to uncover what makes this Iranian-made UAV so effective and how this weapon has permanently changed military tactics worldwide.
Many people around the world follow the details of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. For many military policymakers and weapons manufacturers this war has become a kind of classroom — a harsh lesson whose costs are paid mostly by civilians and children. That “classroom” has also clarified which military technologies work in practice and which production lines should be retired.
One of the clearest lessons from the Russia–Ukraine fighting — and the subject of this piece — is the notable effectiveness of Iran’s Shahed drones. Cheap and simple to build, these UAVs were largely overlooked compared with million‑dollar Western drones until their battlefield performance in Ukraine made them a sought‑after weapon. Success data from the war has prompted many advanced Western countries to try to copy or adapt these uncrewed systems.
The Wall Street Journal article titled “All nations are looking to copy the deadly Shahed drones” highlights why Shahed — especially the Shahed‑136 variant — has become popular in countries such as the U.S. and the U.K. The drone’s low unit cost enables unique attack concepts. For a vehicle that is cheap, has significant range, and is easy to manufacture, the article argues, there are few obvious weaknesses — which explains the global interest in acquiring or reverse‑engineering it.
Experts and officials point to four main advantages compared with Western equivalents:
Low cost — production estimates for Russian versions range roughly $35,000–$60,000 per unit.
Simple design — built for battlefield effectiveness, not technological showmanship.
Long range — some variants exceed 1,000 miles (≈1,600 km); Shahed‑136 is cited as having ~2,500 km range in the article.
Mass producibility — materials and design choices enable rapid, large‑scale manufacture.
Design choices that support these aims include delta/triangular wings, propeller propulsion instead of jet engines, and use of fiberglass and carbon‑fiber components — all intended to lower cost and simplify production.
What matters most is battlefield effect. Massed, planned attacks using many Shahed drones (alone or paired with missiles) have produced notable results in Ukraine. Their attack patterns can overwhelm or occupy modern air‑defense systems, tying up interceptors and expending expensive defensive munitions. Russia has used Shahed drones since 2022, and their performance has influenced weapons firms and military planners worldwide to rethink tactics.
Official statements and industry moves in countries such as the U.S., U.K., France and other Western states show efforts to develop similar or Shahed‑inspired systems. Examples mentioned include prototypes and projects from private and defense firms aiming at long‑range, low‑cost attack drones and cruise‑like strike UAVs.
Shahed drones have helped shift thinking from relying on a small number of very expensive, high‑precision weapons toward tactics that use large numbers of inexpensive, expendable drones to saturate defenses, waste defenders’ expensive interceptors, and enable follow‑on attacks.
Very low unit cost (enables mass use)
Simple, rugged design (easy to produce and repair)
Long operational range (threat at strategic depth)
Easily mass‑producible materials & parts (fiberglass, carbon fiber, propeller, delta wing)
Tactically disruptive (saturates/overloads existing air‑defense architectures)
