Iran’s Cheap Drones Are a Big Problem for US
People take picture with Shahed-129 Iranian domestically-built drone as they visit the National Aerospace Park of the Revolutionary Guard, just outside Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
The challenge for the United States in the Iran conflict is less about what it can destroy and more about what it cannot detect. According to Nicholas Kulish of the New York Times, even as U.S. airstrikes hit facilities such as a recent drone factory near Isfahan, Iran continues to produce Shahed attack drones that are inexpensive, easy to build, and difficult to intercept.
Made from commercially available parts, assembled in small workshops, and launched from trucks, these drones allow Tehran to maintain pressure on Gulf states and control maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz at a fraction of the cost required to stop them. Each Shahed-136 measures roughly 8 by 12 feet, has a range of up to 1,500 miles, and costs around $35,000—far less than the millions spent on intercepting each drone.
Experts cited by the Times suggest Iran can likely sustain production even as U.S. and Israeli forces strike its facilities. Russia may be assisting, reportedly producing as many as 1,000 drones per day. A security analyst told the Times, “If it’s relatively easy to do—bending aluminum, 3D printing, or using a basic motorcycle engine—it becomes much harder to track the source.”
Iran is estimated to continue launching 70 to 90 drones daily, down from early-war peaks exceeding 400, still enough to unsettle militaries in the Gulf. With Tehran prioritizing air defenses, radar systems, and command infrastructure rather than traditional frontline targets, the central question for Washington is how long it can sustain efforts to counter these strikes.
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