by Jacob Laznik
Chell said Iran’s advantage is volume and cost rather than sophistication, pairing inexpensive warheads with cheap delivery platforms launched in large numbers.
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Iran’s growing use of swarming, low-cost one-way drones presents a credible threat to high-value US naval vessels, Cameron Chell, CEO of Canadian drone company Draganfly, told Fox News Digital on Monday.
Chell said Iran’s advantage is volume and cost rather than sophistication, pairing inexpensive warheads with cheap delivery platforms launched in large numbers.
“If hundreds are launched in a short period of time, some are almost certain to get through,” he told Fox News Digital, describing how near-simultaneous arrivals can stress radar, interceptors, and close-in weapon systems.
The assessment was framed around potential risks to large, slow-moving surface vessels that are easily tracked and, in saturation scenarios, may face difficult cost-exchange rates when expending expensive interceptors against cheap attackers. Chell said such swarms give Iran “a very credible way to threaten surface vessels,” particularly if launched in coordinated waves designed to exhaust magazines and create gaps in coverage.
USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group enters CENTCOM waters in Indian Ocean
Shortly after the report, a US official told Fox News that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group had entered US Central Command waters in the Indian Ocean.
Later, a US source confirmed the update to The Jerusalem Post.
In recent days, US force movements and consultations between CENTCOM and Israel’s military leadership have intensified amid rising regional tensions. The backdrop includes years of drone and missile activity across the Red Sea and Persian Gulf arenas and evolving cooperation on counter-drone defenses among US, Israeli, and partner forces.
Chell concluded that the key operational dilemma is the imbalance between cost and capacity. “Modern defense systems were not originally designed to counter that kind of saturation attack,” he told Fox News Digital.
Late last week, the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group began moving toward the region with Aegis-equipped destroyers and reinforced air assets, while open-source tracking and regional reporting pointed to heavy transports flowing into Gulf bases and bomber activity staging from Diego Garcia. The posture was described as part of contingency planning with regional partners.
Tehran has signaled heightened readiness ahead of the carrier’s arrival. Officials warned that any attack would be treated as “all-out war,” and authorities unveiled a new public mural in central Tehran depicting a damaged US carrier alongside the warning, “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.”
On Friday, Donald Trump said the United States had “a lot of ships heading towards Iran,” adding that “we have an armada heading their way,” while expressing hope they would not be used. In parallel, his envoys and advisers have framed the deployment as deterrence amid concern over the regime’s crackdown.
Senator Lindsey Graham has urged striking strategic economic targets if American forces or allies are hit, repeatedly arguing for taking Iran’s oil refineries “out of the oil business” to change the regime’s calculus. His comments followed earlier US strikes and were linked to prospects for broader regional realignment.
This week, US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper met again with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, their second meeting in a short span, as both sides coordinated on air, naval, and missile-defense cooperation amid the carrier’s approach.
The IDF highlighted a “tight strategic connection” between the militaries, and reporting noted additional US assets in theater, including F-15s, F-35s, Growlers, and THAAD batteries positioned to bolster regional defense against Iran's ballistic missile threat.
Jacob Laznik
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-884596
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