This is not the first time the Islamic Republic has employed one-way attack drones against tankers to carry out its shadow war against Israel. The cold logic behind these strikes also means this will not be the last.
By using drones, which fly low and slow, versus something like ballistic missiles, which fly high and fast, Tehran is engaging in graduated escalation with unmanned aerial systems that have comparably smaller payloads, in the hopes of forcing Israel to absorb the threat, rather than feel compelled to respond.
According to Iranian reports, the Shahed 136 has a range of 2,500 kilometers, weighs about 200 kilograms, can carry a 50-kg. warhead, and can achieve top speeds of 185 kilometers per hour.
These one-way attack drones are colloquially termed “the poor man’s cruise missile,” as their flight-path greatly mirrors cruise missiles, which also fly low and hug the contours of the terrain they traverse. Interestingly, reports suggest these drones continue to be reliant on illicitly procured Western technology. READ MORE
