Iran launched its first massive salvo of Shahed-136, long-range suicide drones, against Israel. Easily detectable, these devices become annoying when they are launched in large numbers and simultaneously with missiles.
170 drones, 120 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles were launched by the Islamic Republic of Iran against Israel on April 13. “ 99% of threats were intercepted “, according to the spokesperson of the Israeli army.
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Iran launched its salvos in several stages: around a hundred drones first took off from the west of the country, before a wave of missiles followed them. The Iranians then alternated swarms of suicide devices and different types of rockets. Videos broadcast by Israeli citizens bear witness to the first salvos of kamikaze drones.
Iran subsequently released its own images of takeoff during the night. The mode of propulsion quickly confirmed that it was Shahed-136, the Iranian model massively used by Russia against Ukraine.
Cheap Iranian drones to harass Israel and others
What is the point of launching 170 suicide drones, almost all of which were intercepted by the famous “Iron Dome” and Israeli defenses? Questioned by the British media The TelegraphBradley Bowman, director of the Center on Military Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, believes that “ The Shahed 136 is not exactly the most advanced drone in the world “, but that ” that's the problem: you can accomplish very important things on the battlefield with low-tech, low-cost systems, especially if you can use them in large quantities “.
The Shahed drones would in fact “only” cost around $20,000 to produce. Count around $100,000 for ballistic missiles. If the impact is obviously not comparable, the Shaheds have a completely different mission, complementary to the rockets: to saturate the anti-aircraft defenses. These kamikaze devices, with a wingspan of 2.5 meters, have a flight radius of 2,000 km, enough to annoy the distant defense batteries.
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Russia has extensively experimented with this strategy against Ukraine, launching drone salvos against energy infrastructure and civilian populations, while simultaneously sending missiles. In its April 13 attack, Iran similarly targeted several regions, targeting both Jerusalem and the south of the country, where a ballistic missile exploded.
This first official attack by Iran on Israeli soil also serves as a test. The drone and missile combination will make its return to the sky, and not necessarily above Jerusalem: the Shahed have become a standard for suicide drones, Russia, like Chinaare already producing clone models, ready to be used.