Endurance, the new superpower of the battlefield
Cost asymmetry has fundamentally destroyed advances in air defense. Expensive interceptors are designed to counter expensive ballistic missiles. But the modern battlefield is now defined not only by technological superiority but also by the capacity to sustain prolonged conflict.
According to military strategists, this change is an important factor in the future scenarios of war games.
BIG CHANGE
According to some reports, Iran is thought to have launched more than 2,000 Shaheed-type munitions, as well as hundreds of cheap ballistic missiles, targeting the United States, Israel and Gulf countries in the first 100 hours of the conflict alone. These countries responded with layered interceptors, primarily Patriot PAC-3 ($3-4 million each), THAAD interceptors ($12-15 million), SM-2 ($2.5-3 million), SM-6 ($4-5 million), and Iron Dome ($2-4 million).
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While estimates of US and Israeli losses are still unknown, the Gulf countries alone may have fired more than 800 Patriots; This is much higher than the total Patriot deliveries to Ukraine over the past five years. Although they report over 90% interference, the economics of the attrition equation strongly favor Iran.
India faced a similar situation during Operation Sindoor when Pakistan launched several waves of saturation attacks using cheap Chinese, Turkish and Azeri drones. Using the 40mm L-70, 23mm Zu-23 twin gun and other land-based interceptors, India has achieved an interception rate of almost 100% without succumbing to a dramatic cost imbalance. The problem is not only the costs but also other factors such as interceptors running out and leaving the defense vulnerable after a while. Cheap drones were also reportedly capable of destroying multiple American AN/TPY2 radar systems (worth approximately $1 billion each), E-3 Sentry airborne warning aircraft (valued at $500 million), and multiple KC-135 Stratotankers (valued at $80 million).
From India’s perspective, with Pakistan purchasing off-the-shelf cheap drones from China, Türkiye, Azerbaijan and other countries, India should be ready to counter Pakistan’s volume tactics. Like India, Pakistan will have learned from Op Sindoor and will be ready to improve its attacks and munitions strategy in the future.
SATURATION WITH INNOVATION
This also happened in the Russia-Ukraine war. By early 2026, with the help of cheap Chinese components, Russia is thought to be producing 400 Geran-2 drone units per day in Alabuga, Tatarstan.
While the cost per drone is $20,000-$50,000, these platforms forced Ukraine to expend costly NASAMS and Patriot missiles early in the conflict, creating cost conversion ratios over 85:1 against defenders.
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Ukraine quickly adapted and not only reversed this rate, but also reduced its dependence on the West. With the support of some European countries, it developed its own technology and began mass production of low-cost interceptor drones priced between $1,000-$5,000.
Today, these drones account for one in every three deaths in the air. The country’s annual drone production exceeds millions, and Ukraine’s defense sector revenues will reach $6.3 billion in 2025. The essence of this strategy was decentralized, private production, which emphasized Ukraine’s economic agility.
Likewise, India needs to balance its economy in a two-front scenario with Pakistan and China, and such actions can avoid the financial fatigue that initially plagued Ukraine.
REQUIRED: ALTERNATIVES
The fact that the United States and its allies spent close to $20 billion on interceptors alone in the first week of the war clearly demonstrates the need for other cost-effective alternatives to counter such threats. Some alternatives have since been improvised, such as targeting drones via aerial weapon systems on attack helicopters; Israel’s development of direct energy weapons is a clear technological leap.
A saturation attack should only be handled with saturation. This means that the problem is with the scale of production. India has a lot to learn. An ideal layered air defense system using artillery, missiles, direct energy weapons, electromagnetic spectrums, jammers, and other passive measures should be developed at a scale that will maintain defensive superiority without exorbitant costs.
BUILDING RESISTANCE
Iran was able to sustain the war for so long thanks to its resilient industrial base that was dispersed, decentralized, low-tech, independent, and thus resistant to enemy targeting. He built up a stockpile of tens of thousands of shells long before the start of the war, and to this day no one knows how many missiles and drones he has.
Russia has localized 90% of the assembly, using cheap North Korean labor and Chinese components for exponentially increasing production scales. Similarly, Ukraine’s wartime rise.
It all comes down to three factors: cost, scale and durability. While high-end and expensive systems are important, developing a layered, durable and cost-effective system will prevent financial bleeding.
CLICK THE BLANKS
Operation Sindoor has reinforced the need for India to be prepared on two fronts against Pakistan’s China-backed asymmetric tactics and potential Chinese drone or missile strikes along the Line of Actual Control. It also revealed several talent gaps.
India’s layered air defenses, which include S-400, Akash, Pechora and other surface-to-air missiles and are reinforced with weapons systems, jammers and other electronic warfare tools, are a good response.
The Akash Teer system in India enabled real-time sensor fusion, rapid target allocation, and cost-optimized engagement sequences; This not only allocated the appropriate air defense system to prioritize and counter targets, but also spared expensive interceptors for higher value threats.
But the cost of participation remains the primary issue. For the first time, our older weapons, such as the L-70 and Zu-23 2B, which are often overlooked in modernization processes, have proven invaluable against small, slow-moving drones.
India’s industrial depth and innovation will play a key role in the development of anti-UAV solutions, stray munitions, micro-munitions and electronic tools that can fill existing gaps in swarm management.
After all, wars are no longer won by the most advanced systems, but by the side that can afford to fight.
The views expressed here are those of the author and not of EconomicTimes.com.
