US may not have capacity to take down full barrage of Iranian drones, officials warn

"Top military officials told lawmakers in a closed door briefing on Tuesday that they may not be able to shoot down every Iranian drone being launched against US military installations and assets in retaliatory attacks. The officials, led by the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen Dan Caine, said Iran has been deploying thousands of one-way attack drones and while they have capacity to take down the vast majority but not all of the barrage."

"As a result, the officials said in a classified briefing for lawmakers on Capitol Hill, the US was focused on destroying the launch sites for the drones and conventional missiles as quickly as possible. Top Democrats in Congress have expressed concerns the US has been burning through interceptors to defend against ballistic missiles launched by Iran, an issue that Caine has acknowledged."

"In retaliation against US strikes, Iran has been launching its low-cost, one-way attack Shahed drones. By flying low and slow, the drones are seen to be better able to evade conventional air defenses than ballistic missiles. A senior administration official said Iran's apparent drone strategy to get the US to sacrifice its most sophisticated Patriot and Thaad interceptors was misguided and unsuccessful."

Top military officials, including the chair of the joint chiefs of staff Gen. Dan Caine, briefed lawmakers that while the US can intercept the vast majority of Iranian one-way attack drones, it cannot shoot down every drone in a barrage. Iran has deployed thousands of low-cost Shahed drones that fly low and slow to evade conventional air defenses. The US strategy has shifted to destroying launch sites for drones and conventional missiles as quickly as possible. Congressional Democrats have expressed concerns about interceptor depletion, though military officials maintain sufficient precision munitions exist. Initial daily defense spending reached approximately $2 billion but has decreased to around $1 billion as the conflict continues.

Read at www.theguardian.com