Ukraine has sent a team of drone experts and interceptor drones to assist in protecting U.S. military bases in Jordan, responding to a request from Washington amid escalating regional tensions linked to Iran, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with The New York Times.
Rapid Deployment Following U.S. Request
Zelenskyy stated that the White House made the request on a Thursday, and Ukraine quickly dispatched the drone unit the following day. “We reacted immediately,” Zelenskyy said, confirming Kyiv’s prompt support to bolster U.S. defenses. The White House has not yet publicly confirmed the transfer.
Context of Increased Iranian Drone Attacks
The deployment coincides with a surge in Iranian drone strikes across the Gulf region targeting U.S. and allied facilities. Iranian Shahed drones have struck locations in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and a tactical operations center in Kuwait, where six U.S. service members were killed.
This drone offensive is part of Iran’s retaliation following U.S.-Israeli military actions against Iranian targets. The high frequency and low cost of Iranian drones contrast sharply with the expensive missile defense systems, such as Patriot interceptors, used to destroy them.
Strategic Implications of Drone Warfare
According to the Department of the Army’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget, each Patriot PAC-3 MSE interceptor costs approximately $3.8 million, while a Shahed drone costs between $20,000 and $50,000, per estimates from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Experts like Patrycja Bazylczyk of CSIS highlight that Iran uses drones to exert influence economically and strategically. She argues that countering these drones solely by shooting them down is inefficient and that efforts should target their launch sites and production facilities instead.
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Source: https://gokaworldnews.com/2026/03/11/ukraine-deploys-drone-unit-to-protect-us-bases-in-jordan/