US Ramps Up Anti-Drone Tech Amid Iran Tensions
The United States and its Gulf allies are accelerating procurement of low-cost drone interceptors and laser weapons to counter Iranian Shahed-136 drone swarms. Britain’s Royal Navy is also scrambling to deploy ship-based counter-drone systems, seeking new platforms "within weeks."
The US is concerned about Iranian Shahed-136 "kamikaze" drones, which can strike targets 1,000-2,000 km away with a 30-50 kg warhead. These drones, costing an estimated $20,000-$50,000 each, present a challenging and cost-asymmetric threat. To counter this, the US is testing high-energy laser systems that "burn" drones with concentrated beams of light. The Pentagon's Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF-401) and the FAA conducted a high-energy laser test on March 7-8, 2026, to integrate counter-drone tech safely into national airspace. A rifle-mounted laser weapon, using green, blue, and infrared laser bands, has also completed initial trials. The US Army is deploying the Merops system to the Middle East, which has a proven record of over 1,000 intercepts of Shahed-type drones in Ukraine. Merops launches small, AI-navigated interceptor drones costing roughly $15,000 each. Despite using Patriot and THAAD missile systems, effective anti-drone defenses in the Middle East are limited. The US military is also considering Ukraine's battle-tested drone technology, after initially rejecting it. The Pentagon is investing heavily in drone and counter-drone tech; a new law allocated $13.5 billion for unmanned systems and $16 billion for government-wide AI initiatives. The global military drone market is projected to reach $47 billion by 2032.
