More than three months after Russia started using large numbers of Iranian-made drones against Ukraine, the U.S. is struggling to supply effective systems that can meet the threat, according to Western officials and analysts.
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I think we have made a lot of strides in creating capabilities that are effective against the Shaheds,” Mr. Crino said. “Our ability to get those systems to Ukraine and get them integrated into their defensive structure has been somewhat more limited.”
As the Russian invasion nears its first anniversary, private companies say they are factoring the Iranian drones into their planning.
Bill Haraka, vice president of defense and security with the Dutch Robin Radar Systems, said his firm was optimizing its sensors to best identify larger drones including the Shahed-136. “The requests we’re getting from different organizations in Europe is actually to battle that particular threat,” Haraka said.
Fortem Technologies, a Utah-based airspace security company, said it was modifying its DroneHunter system, which captures drones in nets, to work against Iranian drones. “We have certainly been made aware of the characteristics of the Shahed-136, and we have made improvements that can capture that type of drone,” CEO Jon Gruen said.
He added that the Shahed-136 “is currently the biggest threat of an unmanned air system type in the Ukrainian conflict.”
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It's tough to be a Shahed hater today