Ukraine's battlefield-tested counter-drone techniques - from heavy machine guns bolted onto pickup trucks to improvised acoustic detection networks - have become some of the most sought-after military expertise in the Middle East, as Gulf states scramble to plug gaps exposed by Iran's relentless aerial campaign.
The demand for Ukraine's low-tech solutions highlights a striking failure in Western military planning, security columnist Colby Badhwar writes in an analysis for the Center for European Policy Analysis, as reported by "Hvylya". The US "embarked on Operation Epic Fury without an accurate assessment" of the drone threat's scale, he argues, and while both Americans and Ukrainians have demonstrated competence in ballistic missile defense, Washington "lags" in countering unmanned aerial systems.
The methods Ukraine has refined over four years of war are deceptively simple. A .50 caliber heavy machine gun mounted on a pickup truck "can be effective when deployed intelligently," Badhwar notes. Ukraine's acoustic network listens for the distinctive whine of drone engines and feeds coordinates to a central command point. These systems cost a fraction of what a Patriot missile does.
Such low-tech solutions might seem out of place next to the region's sophisticated anti-ballistic missile batteries. But they serve a critical role as the last line of defense. "When a drone slips through the cracks, having a final layer of defense around high-value assets is essential," the analysis notes. Nearly 100 Iranian drones have penetrated the UAE's air defenses despite its advanced systems.
Ukraine has built its counter-drone capability under extreme pressure. In February - the worst month of the four-year war - the country endured an average of 191 missile and drone strikes per day, yet consistently intercepted around 90% of incoming drones. Ukrainian teams are now sharing that expertise firsthand with US forces in Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Also read: Ukraine Assembles 3.5 Million Drones a Year - the U.S. Produces Ten Times Fewer.