Why the Middle East is looking to Ukraine for cheaper ways to stop drones

(Representative Image)

• Cheap drones force expensive missile use in Gulf conflicts
• Ukraine uses low-cost defences like machine guns and jammers
• US, Gulf states explore Ukraine's cost-effective drone defenses

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The war between Iran and the US-led coalition has exposed a growing problem in modern air defence: cheap drones are forcing countries to spend on extremely expensive weapons to stop them.

In recent attacks across the Gulf, US forces and their regional allies have relied on advanced systems such as Patriot interceptor missiles and fighter jets to destroy Iranian drones and missiles. These systems work, but they are costly.

Iran’s Shahed drones can cost tens of thousands of dollars to produce. The missiles used to shoot them down can cost millions.

According to the Wall Street Journal, that imbalance has pushed the United States, Israel and Gulf states to look at a very different battlefield for answers: Ukraine.

How Ukraine built a cheaper drone defence

For more than four years, Ukraine has faced large waves of Russian drones and missiles. Unlike wealthy Gulf countries, Ukraine does not have enough expensive missile systems to counter every attack.

Instead, it has developed a layered and far cheaper defence.

Ukraine uses truck-mounted machine guns, rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns, electronic jamming systems and interceptor drones to bring down incoming drones. Aircraft and helicopters sometimes shoot them down with cannons.

These methods are not perfect, but they are far cheaper than relying solely on missile defences.

Ukraine has also improvised with older weapons. Some units use heavy machine guns that are decades old, fitted with modern thermal imaging systems to track drones at night.

What Gulf countries are now learning

Officials say the US and Gulf states are now studying Ukraine’s experience and technology.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said teams of Ukrainian experts have been sent to the Middle East to demonstrate drone-defence systems and share operational lessons.

Gulf countries are also exploring purchases of Ukrainian counter-drone equipment, including signal jammers and interceptor drones designed to destroy incoming drones in the air.

The shift reflects a growing realisation that traditional missile defence systems were built to stop ballistic missiles, not large numbers of small drones flying at low altitude.

Why cheap defences matter

Even wealthy countries can struggle to keep up when large numbers of drones are involved.

An analysis by former Pentagon budget official Elaine McCusker estimated that the US military fired roughly USD5.7 billion worth of interceptor missiles in just the first four days of the war to counter Iranian attacks.

At that rate, defence costs can escalate quickly.

Some analysts say Western militaries focused too heavily on advanced technology and overlooked cheaper defences.

Ukraine’s experience has shown that simple systems such as machine guns, electronic warfare and drone interceptors can sometimes be the most practical solution.

A new battlefield lesson

The spread of cheap drones is changing how modern air defence works.

Missile systems like Patriot remain essential for stopping high-speed ballistic missiles. But when dozens or hundreds of inexpensive drones are launched at once, countries need cheaper tools to deal with them.

Ukraine learned that lesson the hard way. Now, militaries in the Middle East and the United States are racing to apply it.