#

​russian Troops Experience Problems With Iranian Drones in Ukraine – the Pentagon

3782
Illustrative photo: Iranian Shahed loitering munitions demonstration / Photo credit: Iran's Military Achievements Media on Twitter
Illustrative photo: Iranian Shahed loitering munitions demonstration / Photo credit: Iran's Military Achievements Media on Twitter

U.S. defense officials think Iran is not the best country to buy equipment from

Unmanned aerial systems from Iran "have already experienced numerous failures on the battlefields in Ukraine," says Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Sasha N. Baker at the press conference on military aid for Ukraine at the Pentagon.

After a number of strikes with Shahed-type loitering munitions, namely drones with an explosive warhead, journalists asked whether Ukraine needs a specific countermeasure which the United States could provide.

Read more: ​Iranian Shahed-136 Have a Feature that Makes Usage of Radar-Reliant Air Defense Against Them Problematic

However, Iranian "kamikaze drones" are not the type of advanced piece of technology that needs a fundamentally different approach other than the other unmanned aerial systems seen in Ukraine so far, as follows from the official’s words.

"Frankly, you know, what I think it speaks to is not some kind of technological advance but actually, you know, a bit of desperation on the part of the Russians. We know their military is suffering from major supply shortages in Ukraine, in part because of sanctions and export controls. And it's forcing them to rely on some unreliable countries for supplies and equipment," Sasha Baker said.

Some of the Iranian drones experience malfunctioning at the very launch / Open source illustrative photo

The Pentagon has seen russia sending drone operators to receive special training in Iran on how to use these UAV systems. Apparently, Iranian drones would be used not only for air attacks but also as recon drones to detect and target EW systems of the Ukrainian military. But it doesn’t mean russians received "some sort of technological leap ahead".

"Actually, contrary, perhaps," suggests Bill LaPlante, the defense official on acquisition and sustainment, "...Those UASs or whatever you want to call them are not that high tech. I mean, there's - many of them are things you can just buy off the shelf."

Read more: ​Ukraine is Developing Countermeasures Against Iranian Shahed-136 'Kamikaze' Drones