Ukraine's experience in countering drones could help Gulf countries – Austrian expert
The Persian Gulf countries could significantly strengthen their protection against Iranian Shahed drones by drawing on Ukraine's experience in building a comprehensive counter-UAV system that includes early warning, electronic warfare, and various interception tools.
Austrian military expert Markus Reisner, head of the Officer Training Institute at the Theresian Military Academy, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.
"Ukraine's great opportunity is to pass on to the Gulf states the experience it has gained in recent years in the war against Russia in the field of drone defense. Ukraine has developed a very effective drone defense complex with the development of an early warning and flight reporting system, the use of electronic weapons, and the use of a range of effectors for direct drone interception," Reisner said.
The expert noted that Iran had already "scored some significant hits on military facilities, primarily through the use of Shahed-131/136 drones," which "is causing concern among the attacked countries in the Gulf region and prompting them to look for ways to defend themselves."
According to him, Ukraine's assistance to the Gulf states in counter-drone defense could increase their support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.
"The Gulf states could benefit from the expertise of the Ukrainian military, and in return, the willingness to support Ukraine from this region would increase. This would affect the sanctions policy against Russia, but also concrete financial aid for Ukraine," Reisner said.
According to him, the Iranian regime has prepared for the current war and is now using strikes to demonstrate that, despite losses, it remains capable of inflicting damage.
"The primary strategic objectives are the survival of the regime and the restoration of its capacity to act and deter. This time, Iran reacted very quickly with missile attacks on Israel and attacks on military bases in Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and even Cyprus. In doing so, it is pursuing a clear goal: to signal that Iran is still capable of causing damage despite the losses in its leadership. And indeed, the Iranians have already scored some significant hits on military installations," he said.
The expert also warned about the risk of a prolonged war.
"If Iran succeeds in activating Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, Syrian units and the Houthis to launch an offensive campaign on several fronts, this could lead to a long war with heavy losses. This is certainly not Trump's goal, especially with the midterm elections just around the corner," he said.
According to Reisner, the crucial question is the endurance of both sides: whether Iran will be able to deploy drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles for weeks, and whether the attacked countries will be able to defend themselves with air defense systems.
"Added to this is the question of whether the U.S. and Israel have sufficient air-to-ground weapon systems to carry out a campaign that could last for months. The majority of Gulf state governments had expressly warned Washington against attacking Iran because they feared precisely this outcome. Now they face the dilemma of hosting U.S. forces while at the same time trying not to become parties to the war. The Gulf monarchies are dependent on U.S. protection," he added.
Photo: militaeraktuell.at