From Ukraine to the Persian Gulf, the Shahed drone has rewritten the rules of modern warfare

On June 1, 2026, the UK Ministry of Defense awarded contracts worth £36 million to Thales for LMM missiles after the RAF shot down over 100 Shahed drones in the Middle East. In Ukraine, Russian forces launched more than 54,500 Shahed in 2025, while Kyiv developed low-cost interceptor drones achieving an 80% interception rate. Moscow formalized in November 2025 the creation of dedicated drone forces with 114,000 personnel, and plans to produce 7.3 million FPV drones in 2026.