A copy of the most lethal roller weapon

It is no secret that war in Ukraine has raised To drones as Combat tools Of the contests of the new century. And among all models, the Iranian Shahed that Russia It has multiplied With its own version it stands out above the rest. The United States has been trying to catch up in this sector, so it has just presented the non -manned device that will make a shuttle change to that paradigm shift. And yes, it looks a lot like Ukraine.

Shaheds acceleration. It We count this week. Russian state television showed shocking images of An industrial complex where Kamikaze Shahed-136 drones are manufactured, designed by Iran and assembled at an industrial scale By Russia. According to estimates by German general Christian Freuding, the rate of production has multiplied by ten in one year, until allowing the possibility of launching More than 700 units In one night.

At that rate, Moscow could reach the 2,000 daily releases before the end of the year. An unprecedented effort that illustrates a military doctrine based not on precision, but on saturation, which has forced the United States to seriously contemplate its own entry into the war of low cost and mass production drones.

Tomahawks vs Shaheds. And here came the main problem. American military doctrine has traditionally focused on high -tech platforms such as Tomahawk cruise missile: a precision projectile with a scope of more than 1,500 kilometerssubsonic speed and a 450 kilos war head. But with a cost of almost two million Of dollars per unit, its massive use becomes prohibitive.

In contrast, Russian Shahed drones, although slow and with more modest explosive loads, cost just $ 35,000 and can be launched in swarms. Even if 90% are demolished, as happened July 12 In Ukraine, the remaining volume is still able to saturate defenses and cause damage. The logic of “when the amount becomes quality” has gained ground. The difference in operational costs, rather than in benefits, is redefining the rules of modern combat.

Lucas, the US model. Faced with this reality, and with Trump pressing (demanded a drone combat “like shahed, but for $ 40,000, no 41 million”), the pentagon has Presented the Lucas system (Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System). We are, in essence, before An American clone of Shahed, although Lucas also points to a FLM-136 varianta drone produced by the small Spektreworks company in Arizona, whose original purpose was to serve as a air training target.

Despite its aspect similar to that of Shahed, its operational capabilities are something below: It weighs half, loads less explosive and has a lower reach. In addition, it lacks a production line comparable to the Russian, which hinders its viability for a massive deployment. His true cost per unit is still unknown, although he is presumably lower than the Tomahawk, but possibly much higher than the Iranian standard.

Back at the 2gm. The idea of copying enemy weapons to produce them in mass is not new to the United States. During World War II, El País designed the JB-2 “Loon”a replica of German Missile V-1conceived to be launched from aircraft carriers and bombard Japan No risk pilots. Although the plan was abandoned after Japanese surrender, he left a lesson on the strategic power of serial production.

Today, voices Like Palmer Luckey’sfounder AndurilThey advocate returning to that volume approach: producing thousands of cheap drones, such as Your barracuda modelto saturate the enemy. However, these products were not present in the recent Pentagon exhibitionwhich suggests that the institutional commitment to this approach is not yet firm.

Ukraine as a test bank. Meanwhile, Ukraine has adopted the logic of volume with remarkable efficacy. The country plans to launch 30,000 attack drones against Russia in 2025, Combining models sophisticated with low -cost solutions assembled with plastic tubes and civil components. Its hybrid and pragmatic approach is redefining expectations about air power in asymmetric conflicts.

Faced with this dynamic, the United States Find laggingboth in industrial capacity and in strategic mentality, still trapped between the paradigm of high expensive precision and the reality of a war that rewards replicable simplicity.

Scale revolution. In the background, something we have coming counting These months. The appearance of drone swarms Cheap and effective It is transforming contemporary air war, demanding traditional powers a deep review of their weapons systems and defense industries. While the pentagon has reacted with initiatives Like Lucasits limited performance and origin as training drone indicates more a symbolic response than a real solution to the challenge raised by Russia and Iran.

In this new scenario, where the cost and scale are decisive, Washington must decide whether he is willing to leave his elitist precision war model in favor of An adapted strategy to the fighting of the 21st century, even if it is copying, as already done in the wars of the twentieth century. Otherwise, it will continue Arriving late to a contest that is already fought in swarms.

Image | US Navy, x

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