US seeking to exploit Iran’s drone achievements

Ali-Mohammad Naeini, spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), responded to the publication of images indicating US attempts to copy the Iranian Shahed-136 drone.

Naeini said the achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran—made possible through domestic strength and the efforts of young Iranian experts— are not mere slogans and have been proven in recent conflicts.

Naeini stated that when an Iranian drone passes through multiple layers of air defenses, travels 2,000 kilometers, evades detection even near the Israeli regime's Iron Dome, and strikes its target with precision, it demonstrates an “astonishing and remarkable” technological accomplishment that has amazed observers worldwide.

He added that Israel still wonders why it cannot defend itself against Iran’s missile attacks.

“When we launch a missile in one of the twenty-two waves and they cannot intercept it, and that missile hits the intended target with precision and carries high destructive power, it shows that the enemy—with all its technological assets and highly advanced capabilities in the drone, missile, aerial, and air-defense domains—had deployed an organized formation that had been thoroughly trained for, yet it ultimately failed.”

Referring to the US-made copy of the Iranian Shahed drone, Naeini said the enemy has effectively acknowledged its own defeat. He added that it is only natural for adversaries to attempt to understand how Iran developed these capabilities and to try to benefit from Iran’s technological achievements.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the US military was deploying a kamikaze drone to West Asia that was copied and reverse-engineered from the Iranian Shahed-136. 

US Central Command (CENTCOM) recently announced the creation of the Scorpion Strike Task Force (TFSS). TFSS is a squadron of Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack Systems, LUCAS, one-way attack drones.

The compact fuselage and low radar cross-section of the Shahed-136 drone make early detection and interception difficult, especially when deployed in large swarm attacks. Low production cost and ease of launch have made the Iranian-designed aircraft an effective tool for disabling and disrupting enemy air defense networks. The drone is often used alongside other offensive systems and serves as a first-wave platform to weaken air defenses before ballistic missile strikes or precision-guided munitions are launched.