UAVs

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become the defining weapon of the 2026 Gulf conflict. The UAE alone has engaged 2,256 drone attacks since hostilities began on 28 February. Iran uses one-way attack drones (also called loitering munitions) to saturate air defences, creating openings for ballistic and cruise missile strikes to penetrate. Within hours of the 8 April Ceasefire announcement, Iran launched 94 drones and 30 missiles at Gulf States, demonstrating drones remain the opening salvo.

Iran's drone arsenal includes the Shahed-136 (range ~2,500 km, used extensively by Russia in Ukraine), the Shahed-131 (~900 km), and smaller tactical variants. Drones struck Kuwait International Airport fuel storage, hit Prince Sultan Air Base damaging aircraft, and have targeted desalination plants, aluminium smelters, and civilian infrastructure across the Gulf. At roughly $1,000-50,000 per unit versus $1-3 million per interceptor missile, drones impose an asymmetric cost on defenders. The cost-exchange ratio is Iran's primary strategic advantage in a protracted conflict.

The emergence of fibre-optic FPV drones has opened a new tactical dimension. UK Defence Innovation issued a formal industry call on 8 April acknowledging that fibre-optic guidance makes drones immune to jamming, explicitly stating existing UK defences cannot defeat the threat. Ukraine's Shrike 10 Fiber variant, which scored 99.3/100 in the Pentagon's Drone Dominance Gauntlet, operates on a 12.4-mile fibre-optic cable with no RF signature. The detection gap acknowledged by the UK applies to almost every Western Counter-UAS system currently deployed.