US’ tactical error: Washington dismissed Ukrainian tech to down Iranian Shahed drones months before Iran war
Iran war: Ukraine that developed the anti-Shahed technology is experienced in this matter since Russia, that had bought the bombing technology from Iran, reproduced it as Geran drones and used it in the Ukraine war.
- Mar 11, 2026,
- Updated Mar 11, 2026 9:12 AM IST
Iran war: In what Washington has accepted was a tactical error on their side, the US administration had reportedly – only months ago – dismissed a Ukrainian technology, proven to take down Iran’s inexpensive Shahed attack drones. The misjudgment clearly cost the US a lot as it lost seven US service members to these drones.
According to a report by Axios, Ukrainian officials tried to sell their technology to the US seven months ago. They made a PowerPoint presentation to demonstrate how they could protect American forces as well as their allies in a West Asia war. The pitch was initially dismissed but then the Trump administration went back to them due to the more-than-expected drone strikes from Iran.
Two US officials told the news site that it was one of the biggest miscalculations by the Trump administration since it began the war on February 28. "If there's a tactical error or a mistake we made leading up to this war in Iran, this was it," an official told the news site.
Ukraine that developed the anti-Shahed technology is experienced in this matter since Russia, that had bought the bombing technology from Iran, reproduced it as Geran drones and used it in the Ukraine war. The technology developed by Ukraine is a low-cost interceptor drone, along with other sensors and air defences.
The report stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered the technology to Trump as a way to strengthen ties between the nations.
The presentation made by the Ukrainians displayed a map of West Asia with the warning: ‘Iran is improving its Shahed one-way-attack drone design’. It included the idea of creating ‘drone combat hubs’ in Turkey, Jordan and the Persian Gulf states that have US bases, the report added.
While Trump asked his team to look into it, nothing was eventually done.
The Shahed drone is said to cost $20,000 to $50,000, depending on the model, but the Ukrainian interceptors are even cheaper, the report added. There have always been concerns about taking down such a cheap, simple target with multimillion-dollar munitions.
In return for giving access to the US to its anti-drone system, Ukraine proposed to buy American weapons. An Ukrainian official said that their resources only allowed them to produce 50 per cent of what they could produce, and hence they wanted the US’ investment for the other 50 per cent.
Iran war: In what Washington has accepted was a tactical error on their side, the US administration had reportedly – only months ago – dismissed a Ukrainian technology, proven to take down Iran’s inexpensive Shahed attack drones. The misjudgment clearly cost the US a lot as it lost seven US service members to these drones.
According to a report by Axios, Ukrainian officials tried to sell their technology to the US seven months ago. They made a PowerPoint presentation to demonstrate how they could protect American forces as well as their allies in a West Asia war. The pitch was initially dismissed but then the Trump administration went back to them due to the more-than-expected drone strikes from Iran.
Two US officials told the news site that it was one of the biggest miscalculations by the Trump administration since it began the war on February 28. "If there's a tactical error or a mistake we made leading up to this war in Iran, this was it," an official told the news site.
Ukraine that developed the anti-Shahed technology is experienced in this matter since Russia, that had bought the bombing technology from Iran, reproduced it as Geran drones and used it in the Ukraine war. The technology developed by Ukraine is a low-cost interceptor drone, along with other sensors and air defences.
The report stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered the technology to Trump as a way to strengthen ties between the nations.
The presentation made by the Ukrainians displayed a map of West Asia with the warning: ‘Iran is improving its Shahed one-way-attack drone design’. It included the idea of creating ‘drone combat hubs’ in Turkey, Jordan and the Persian Gulf states that have US bases, the report added.
While Trump asked his team to look into it, nothing was eventually done.
The Shahed drone is said to cost $20,000 to $50,000, depending on the model, but the Ukrainian interceptors are even cheaper, the report added. There have always been concerns about taking down such a cheap, simple target with multimillion-dollar munitions.
In return for giving access to the US to its anti-drone system, Ukraine proposed to buy American weapons. An Ukrainian official said that their resources only allowed them to produce 50 per cent of what they could produce, and hence they wanted the US’ investment for the other 50 per cent.