Gulf countries begin to exhaust their interceptor missiles to stop Iran’s ‘low-cost’ attacks

In response to attacks with ballistic missiles or low-cost drones, commanders of the Gulf armies They usually launch at least two interceptors to ensure their chances of destroying the target.

Because of this modus operandi, The Economist has explained that, according to the reports provided by these countries, since the beginning of the offensive, they have shot down nearly 887 missiles and 2,581 drones.

Likewise, the British magazine emphasizes that, although the number of Patriots that each country has in its possession, due to its rapid use, some areas could be running out at the moment out of stock.

Currently, according to a specialized study to which the magazine has had access, Saudi Arabia could have acquired around 1,800 Patriots, Qatar 1,000 and United Arab Emirates (EAU) 900.

USA It also has this type of interceptors in the region, but the quantity is unknown.

Within the anti-missile defense systems, although the most used are the Patriot Due to their ability to intercept more complex threats, such as ballistic and cruise missiles, the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) y los NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System).

These interceptors stand out, in addition to their effectiveness, for their high cost. In the case of the Patriotits price can range between 3 and 6 million dollars.

The Iranian strategy

Compared to American elite defense system, Iran stands out for using ‘low cost’ weapons equipment, highlighting drones that have an intermediate cost between 20,000 and 50,000 dollars.

This is done with a goal: they are produced in large quantities in order to be able to launch a large number in a massive way and, in this way, forces his adversaries to excessively increase the use of their interceptors.

With this, the Iranian regime wants to get countries, such as those in the Gulf, to end their stocks and, thus, make them more vulnerable.

Due to this way of acting, the United States and its partners are forced to look other options just as effective as their current and more economical interceptors.