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Iran conflict sharpens the drone dilemma for countries like Singapore
Drones enable cheap disruption but integrating them as a core asset can turn them into a strategic advantage.
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US employment of low-cost drones against Iranian targets marked a new chapter in how modern war is waged.
PHOTO: ARASH KHAMOOSHI/NYTIMES
Graham Ong-Webb
On Feb 28, the logic of modern warfare reached a turning point. As part of Operation Epic Fury, the United States launched strikes against Iran – not just with billion-dollar stealth jets, but with a swarm of US$35,000 (S$44,200) “kamikaze” drones.
With essentially American-made clones of Iran’s own Shahed drones, the US flipped the script and signalled that even the world’s most advanced superpower will double down on incorporating technologies widely seen as the purview of weaker powers and asymmetrical warfare.
