Iran Deploys Hundreds of Shahed 136 Drones in Gulf Region Attacks
Iran has unleashed hundreds of its distinctive Shahed 136 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) aimed at targets across the Middle East over the past 48 hours. The bulky and noisy drones, which cost approximately $50,000 each, have struck buildings in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and other locations throughout the Gulf. This aggressive move by Tehran is widely seen as an attempt to intimidate and impose costs on regional allies of the United States.
Drone Attacks Target Civilian and Military Infrastructure
A video from Bahrain captures a delta-wing drone flying towards a tower block at night, with the lawnmower-like grumble from its engine clearly audible before it slams terrifyingly into the building. Fiery debris cascades beyond the balcony window, suggesting the apartment may not have survived a direct hit. More than 1,000 drones, a high proportion of which are likely Shahed 136s, have targeted Iran's Gulf neighbours since the US and Israel first attacked Tehran on Saturday morning.
On Monday afternoon, the UAE reported it had been attacked by 689 drones and had successfully downed 645, meaning 44 drones, a little over 6% of the total, managed to penetrate defences. A second video from Bahrain clearly shows a single delta-winged drone flying above the heart of the naval base housing the US Fifth Fleet before swooping down to smash into and destroy a radar dome. Shahed strikes have also been reported in Kuwait and the UAE, and probably at an RAF base in Akrotiri, Cyprus.
Technical Specifications and Tactical Use
The Shahed 136 drones are 3.5 metres long with a wingspan of 2.5 metres. Their relatively low cost and ease of manufacture, particularly compared with ballistic missiles, means they are likely to remain a persistent feature of the conflict for some time. Most Shahed 136s are relatively slow, though faster jet engine variants have been observed in Ukraine, and can carry an explosive payload of about 50kg, enough to damage a skyscraper but not to bring it down entirely.
Their range extends up to 1,250 miles (2,000km), and they are typically preprogrammed on complex flight paths, travelling low above ground to evade radar detection. However, there is growing evidence from Ukraine that they can be remotely piloted by operators, allowing for last-minute course changes. The drones' noise, large size, and final terminal dive readily provoke terror among civilian populations.
Historical Context and Global Proliferation
Shahed 136s were designed towards the end of the last decade in Iran and were definitively first spotted in July 2021 during an attack on an Israeli-owned oil tanker, Mercer Street, which resulted in the deaths of a Briton and a Romanian. They may have also been used earlier, in September 2019, against Saudi oil installations at Abqaiq and Khurais.
Originally developed by Shahed Aviation Industries Research Center, an Iranian company the US says is subordinate to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the drones became widespread due to their use by Russia in the war in Ukraine from autumn 2022. Initially exported, Iran later shared the design to allow Russia to manufacture large numbers at a factory in Yelabuga, on the Volga River.
Strategic Implications and Future Threats
In Ukraine, Russia typically attacks using coordinated swarms of up to 800 Shahed 136s, similar-looking Geran decoys, and a small number of cruise and ballistic missiles to overwhelm Kyiv's air defences. However, most videos from the Gulf this weekend show isolated drones that have penetrated air defences rather than an attacking swarm. Shaheds have been most effective at hitting static targets, notably utility infrastructure, leading to national electricity and heating crises affecting hundreds of thousands of homes.
Iran may achieve success if it copies this tactic. On Monday morning, the Ras Tanura refinery, the largest in Saudi Arabia, was damaged after a drone attack caused a blaze, forcing it to close. Although the weapon used was not confirmed to be a Shahed, it had the same explosive effect, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by such drone technology in regional conflicts.
