MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. Iran can wage war with drones in the new armed conflict in the Middle East nearly indefinitely, Dmitry Kuzyakin, an unmanned aircraft expert, told TASS.
"Expensive conventional weapons like cruise missiles, air defense missiles, and attack drones like the Reaper are very costly. Their production and use require numerous specialists and support infrastructure. Waging a prolonged war with these weapons is expensive even for the United States. One Patriot missile costs the equivalent of 50-100 Shahed drones, depending on the configuration. Economy, as always, is the main weapon of any war, and here it is on Iran’s side. Iran can wage war with drones literally indefinitely," Kuzyakin said.
According to him, the exact number of fixed-wing drones and missile-type drones Iran uses is not critical. "The main thing is that it has learned to launch complex strikes, which at one time became the hallmark of Russia’s strikes against Ukraine. I’ll reveal a terrible military secret, or rather, debunk a stereotype. Missiles are not a separate technological category. They are the same kind of drones as Shaheds or FPV drones. A missile is a long-range drone powered by rocket fuel, using the same principles for flight and guidance as a long-range aircraft-type drone. In terms of design, they are no different. Both have a flight controller, software, sensors, and actuators," the expert emphasized.
