Gulf Air Defense Costs Highlight Sustainability Risks

(MENAFN) Gulf countries are facing mounting economic pressures as they defend against waves of Iranian missiles and drones, exposing the growing asymmetry between offensive and defensive costs in modern warfare. The situation comes amid ongoing US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which prompted Tehran to target Gulf states hosting US-linked assets, including Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

Estimates suggest that defense expenditures across these countries over the past two days have already exceeded $3 billion and could surpass $5 billion in higher projections. For instance, the UAE reported detecting 174 ballistic missiles since Saturday, intercepting 161, and also detecting 689 Iranian drones, of which 645 were neutralized.

The cost disparity is stark. Iran’s estimated expenditure for the strikes is roughly $194–391 million, including $174–348 million on ballistic missiles, $13.8–34.5 million on Shahed drones, and $6–9 million on cruise missiles. Drone unit costs were estimated at $20,000–50,000 per drone by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

In contrast, UAE defense costs are significantly higher. Each PAC-3 MSE interceptor used against ballistic missiles costs $3–5 million. With 152 intercepts using two shots per missile, the total ranges from $966 million to $1.61 billion. Drone defense adds another $322.5–967.5 million, based on interceptors costing $500,000–1.5 million per drone.

The data underscores the long-term economic burden of sustaining high-cost air defense systems against relatively low-cost offensive strikes.

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