In the midst of the ongoing U.S.–Israel–Iran war in the Middle East, an old video is rapidly going viral on social media. The video claims to be a new upgraded version of the Shahed-136 drone, with a range of 4,000 kilometers and a payload of 90 kg. But fact-check revealed that this claim is not true. In fact, this video is a promotional clip from before the war, not a new weapon just yet.
According to defense analysts, the real Shahed-136 drone has a range of about 1,000 to 2,500 kilometers and can carry a warhead of about 30 to 50 kg. The special thing about this drone is that it is very cheap. It is estimated that one Shahed-136 costs between about $20,000 and $50,000. Due to its low cost, these drones are being used extensively in swarm attacks.
The war began when, on February 28, the U.S. and Israel together launched a major air strike on Iran. The attack reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader. Following the incident, Iran launched missile and drone attacks on several Middle Eastern countries.
Iran has launched dozens of missiles and drones over the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar in recent days. The UAE defense system recently claimed to have intercepted 117 drones. But military experts say cheap drone attacks have become a big challenge for defense systems.
The real problem is the cost differential. A Shahed-136 drone if $20,000, then the missile defense system costs millions of dollars to shoot it down. This means the attacker is using cheap weapons, while the defender is having to run a very expensive system.
The US is adopting a new strategy to deal with this problem. U.S. is now using a drone called LUCAS, which is said to cost about $35,000. These drones are designed to target enemy launch sites.
Meanwhile, old videos going viral are spreading confusion among the people. Experts say not every military video you see on social media is new. Sometimes old footage is combined with new rust to go viral.
Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, it is clear that drone warfare has become the biggest weapon of modern warfare.
