US Has No Adequate Protection to Face Iran's Shahed Drones

JAKARTA - The United States (US) does not have adequate defenses in the face of Iran's Shahed drone, said a report by The Atlantic quoting a congressional official.

"The US military does not have a strong defense against the Shahed (drone)," a source quoted by the news agency said.

He added that US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine have acknowledged the gap in the US' ability to fight against the unmanned aircraft.

According to the report, the US has invested more heavily in layered defense systems designed to counter threats from distant countries such as China, rather than near-term targets such as Iran.

Previously, on Wednesday, CNN reported that Hegseth admitted in a closed briefing with members of parliament that Iran's one-way drone Shahed-136 presents a greater challenge to its air defenses than previously thought.

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched an attack on various targets in Iran, including in Tehran, which not only caused damage but also casualties among civilians.

Iran retaliated for the military aggression with attacks on a number of Israeli territories, and on a number of US military bases throughout the Middle East region.