Huge cost of NATO defence systems used to fight Putin’s £30,000 drones | World | News

NATO countries strengthening their defense Multiple attacks of Russian unmanned aerial vehicles Increasing missile defense systems and preventive expenditures for aircraft and aircraft in recent weeks give alarm. NATO’s preparation to deal with large -scale attacks.

Only weeks ago, Poland and NATO partners seized up to 19 HAHED -style unmanned aerial vehicle. Violated the airspace of Poland and therefore NATO Through the borders of the country Russia And Belarus.

President Barack Obama during the reign of arms control, verification and harmony in charge of former Foreign Minister Frank Rose, Poland and NATO partners “quickly and effectively responded to the attack,” he said. Daily Express USA. Then comes Putin claimed that Russia was ‘in war’ with NATO and threatened a closed nuclear war.

However, the price of the defense action was heavy; Make -up missiles reach a total of millions of pounds. The production cost of each Russian drone increases between £ 48,000 to £ 52,000, or in some cases potentially up to £ 75,000.

The Strategic and International Studies Center, a two -party, non -profit policy research institution and thought -tank, foresees a number of more modest production expenses of £ 30,000, referring to numerous studies that determine that production costs are between £ 15,000 to £ 60,000. The calculation of £ 30,000 was determined by taking the average of the lowest cost projection and the most commonly used £ 30,000 estimation.

The UAVs are far from being cheap, but the cost of the Sidewinder Amraams (developed medium -range air -to -air missiles) used by Poland and NATO allies to lower the drones. Mirror USA.

Rose, who led negotiations for a missile defense base in Poland during his time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and also works on missile defense bases in Romania and Türkiye, says that the cost of Sidewinder Amraam is between £ 225,000 and £ 300,000. The defense budget of the US government’s 2021 financial year lists a slightly higher cost of approximately 320,000 to £ 350,000, depending on which branch of the army uses.

Patriot Missile Defense Systems were also ready during the Russian unmanned aerial vehicle attack on Poland in mid -September, but it was not ultimately used. If so, the cost difference between them and drones would be much more dramatic.

According to Rose, the cost of each Patriot missile prevention is about £ 775,000. A report from CSIS suggests that each missile can actually be even more expensive because the cost of each missile is about $ 3 million.

This is more than 40 times the cost of the most expensive forecasts for the production of shahed drones.

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Rose, Daily Express US said: “Currently, this is a big problem in the missile defense: cost curve problem. Million Pound Preventors are expanding the scope of preventives from £ 48,000 to £ 52,000.” “[We’re] You will have to find a way to overcome this cost curve. “

He said the foreign exchange rate was not in favor of defense.

Renewal Problem at the US Industrial Base

Rose said the US’s capacity to reconstruct the industrial missile preventive base is also weakened.

These two main factors are connected to: the United States sends prevention to allies, including Israel; And the US Industrial Base “was neglected for so long” manufacturing has become a difficult, long -term and sometimes complex process.

Expensive US Patriot SM-3 Prevention Inventory Protects Israel

Rose said that the US has deployed a large amount of standard missile 3 stock to protect Israel against the recent attacks in the Middle East.

Data from US Navy resources and CSIS showed that the US launched at least a dozen missiles while responding to Iran’s attacks on Israel at the beginning of 2024.

However, the US does not have a significant number of Patriot SM-3 prevention aircraft with expensive production. Rose said Patriot SM-3 “took time to be built.”

“These are not overnight,” he added and the cost curve does not help. “Even if you can produce larger numbers, you still have a cost curve, you have an attack on defense, and the offensive is much superior.”

According to the predictions of the Missile Defense Defending Alliance, Patriot SM-3 preventives carry a price tag ranging from £ 7.5 million to £ 21 million depending on the model; This makes them at least 300 times more costly than a Russian shahed -style unmanned aircraft.

According to CSIS data, the USA produced 71 of these missiles in 2023. However, in 2024, the United States responded to Iran’s attacks and burned one -year weapons production according to the 2025 financial year budget.

The ‘neglected’ industrial facility causes delays after the US’s production of shops.

Rose attributes the struggle to reconstruct weakened weapons, including Patriot SM-3 preventives of the United States, to the transformations in the US defense industry infrastructure.

During the Iraqi conflict in the early 2000s, Rose said that the American forces deployed Shorad (short -range air defense) platforms. The Army then chose to completely eliminate Shorad and direct system funds to the increasing land troops in the region.

Former President Joe Biden, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the former deputy director, “basically lost a series of short -range abilities and large missiles,” he complained.

However, Rose warned that it was not as easy as it seems to start production in Shorad systems.

“One of the things I have learned from the government is that it is difficult to develop and back when you lose a talent,” he described it as “a shortcoming in the US and NATO defense.”

There is a need for new technology in the face of developing war threats

Rose argued that the United States should focus on developing cheaper capabilities that can cope with these cheap drones “.

“If we’re smart, what we’re going to do is to develop cheaper talents that can deal with these cheap drones on a large scale, so you can save ballistic missile defense preventives Patriot SM-3 to pursue more complex ballistic cruise and hypersonic threats.”

“What brings me to this point is something that we need to develop new types of technologies such as microwave technology and solid state laser, which can be eaten at the appropriate scale and at an affordable price.”

The US and NATO are faced with a threat of a new flock of drones.

In particular, the new technology, the emerging drone threat (dozens of synchronized drone coordinated attacks) should fight, he noted.

According to Rose, herds of unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine due to Russia’s development abilities in the ongoing war are a source of concern. He warns that some of these herds are artificial intelligence supported and that they are not “ready” to overcome the United States and NATO.

“These herds of unmanned aerial vehicles are basically reshaping the war and we are in the background in the United States; we do not develop talents fast enough to cope with these new challenges,” he warned. He added that many enemies of America, including Russia, “turn to drone flocks”.

At the same time “drones, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, integrated attacks with cruise missiles” said they are moving towards “.

“So they are developing, so we need to develop to meet this threat,” he said. “Basically, I think we need new technologies that can resist the herds of drones, but we also need coordinated attacks with herds, cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles and ballistic missiles.”

In this context, he argued that the United States ultimately “failed”.

“We do not devote enough money to this struggle and we do not move fast enough,” he said. “We have always been behind a few generations of the threat.”

US and NATO can learn from its competitors and allies

But there is a silver primer. Rose said the US could learn something from both its competitors and allies, because both have evolved to face new threats.

Within the defense community, he referred to a large number of new publications that emphasized the necessity of increasing defense expenditures to address threats caused by unmanned aerial vehicles and other advanced technological war methods.

In recent years, those who opposed such expenditures claimed that the defense of the missile “does not work” and this is “waste of money”.

However, he stated that it proved that it was effective in Israel, the entire Middle East and in Ukraine; President Donald Trump is all areas where the US can get ideas when trying to establish the “Golden Dome” defense system.

Chevalier Strategic Advisors President, “Israel, Middle East and Ukraine in the missing defense we have seen very well,” he said. “Patriot, Aegis ballistic missile defense, [Terminal] High Altitude Field Defense (Thaad) – They hit more than 90 %of targets. “

He said that the US and NATO can benefit from this success of Ukraine, especially Ukraine.

“My hope is that the United States and NATO learn how Ukrainians develop their abilities to defeat some of these attacks or at least defend them.”

“I think the real challenge for our US and NATO allies is to understand what is happening in Ukraine, to apply the lessons to our own defense policy strategy and improvement strategy, and then to produce the abilities that can respond to this changing threat and turn it into it.”