High Performance with a Range of 1,600 km
at a Unit Cost of 50 to 80 Million Won
The Iranian-designed "Shahed" drone has been evaluated as the most cost-effective model among drones.
On September 26, Yonhap News, citing the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), reported that the United States and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies have begun developing drones similar to the Shahed, which is both affordable and highly capable.
The cost to produce a simple version of the Shahed, manufactured by Russia, is only between $35,000 and $60,000 (approximately 49 million to 85 million won). In contrast, the price of a single long-range Altius drone sold by U.S. defense contractor Anduril to Taiwan last year exceeded $1 million (about 1.4 billion won) per unit.
Despite being extremely low-cost, the Shahed drone can fly more than 1,600 kilometers and is highly effective at overwhelming enemy air defenses when launched in large numbers. Russia increases the likelihood of penetrating defenses by launching dozens of Shahed drones simultaneously and mixing them with missile attacks.
The triangular wing design of the Shahed reportedly requires no reinforcement parts, making it advantageous for mass production. In addition, the use of a carbon fiber airframe and a propeller engine is said to significantly reduce production costs.
As a result, companies in several countries, including the United States, China, France, and the United Kingdom, are engaging in the development of unmanned aerial vehicles modeled after the Shahed.
The U.S. Department of Defense is striving to arm combat units with a variety of low-cost drones. At a Department of Defense event this summer, 18 types of American-made drone prototypes were unveiled. The Lukas drone, which closely resembles the Shahed, is a product of SpectreWorks.
Ukraine, which has focused on drone development for the past two years, has also begun using unmanned aerial vehicles with triangular wings identical to those of the Shahed.
Iran began developing the Shahed drone in the early 2000s. Iran has used this drone to attack Israel and has supplied it to militias across the Middle East to launch attacks against Israel.
Sweden's Saab is also selling drones with a similar appearance and performance to the Shahed.
Lieutenant General Andre Steur of the Royal Netherlands Air Force stated, "The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the power of affordable, long-range strike drones," adding, "The West has not yet reached the necessary level."
James Patton Rogers, a drone expert at the Brooks Institute for Technology Policy at Cornell University, emphasized that the Shahed drone is a "game changer."
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