The ongoing distance war between the United States and its allies against Iran relies on a massive exchange of offensive missiles and interceptor missiles, with costs skyrocketing as the days pass. Within a week, Washington reportedly spent over $11 billion, a significant portion of which went towards defensive missiles.
This defense economy has become unsustainable with the extensive use of cheap Iranian drones, which force the use of much more expensive interceptors to neutralize them. This conflict highlights the limitations of a defense strategy based solely on costly kinetic munitions, prompting a reconsideration of directed energy weapons, like lasers, which have much lower per-shot costs.
I am a researcher at the Raoul-Dandurand Chair. My work focuses on armed conflicts, particularly the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and the use of new technologies.
In this article, I analyze the situation in the Middle East (specifically in the Gulf powers) and how countries are protecting themselves against missile and drone attacks, emphasizing the various technologies being used, particularly innovative ones like directed energy weapons.
Efficient traditional defenses primarily utilize kinetic interceptors, sending projectiles to destroy enemy vectors before they reach their target. In the conflict between the United States and Israel against Iran, the Foreign Policy Research Institute estimates the use of Patriot systems with PAC-3 missiles and THAAD systems by the United States and Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE for defense.
Interception rates range from 80% to 90%, depending on the country and the type of threat they face. For example, the UAE intercepts 90% of missiles and 94% of drones directed towards its territory. In 2025, Israel had an 85% interception rate in its conflict with Iran.
While these antimissile defenses are effective, they have flaws and weaknesses, such as high ammunition consumption to intercept enemy attacks, necessitating continuous logistics and resupply to maintain defense efficiency against overwhelming drone swarms.
The arrival of drones on the battlefield complicates the work of anti-aircraft systems significantly, as hundreds or even thousands of cheap drones can overwhelm defenses. Iran’s drones may reveal the limits of kinetic antimissile defense capacities, as drones are much cheaper than the intercepting missiles.
The discussion is turning towards the adoption of directed energy weapons (DEWs) to counter evolving threats, with a focus on lasers capable of low-cost per-shot operations. The U.S. administration and Israel are actively pursuing DEW projects, like the HELIOS laser system, seeking to enhance defense capabilities against drones and missiles.
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia, marked by heavy drone usage, is driving increased integration of DEWs in defense strategies across countries, with lasers playing a crucial role in countering drone threats.
However, DEWs have limitations related to laser properties, affecting effectiveness at longer ranges and being susceptible to weather conditions like rain and fog. The challenge now is to destroy waves of attacks with minimal cost, with machine guns and lasers being key tools in defense against the proliferation of drones.
