Pentagon: Deployed 25,000 Drone and Counter-Drone Systems in Middle East in 2026

In a move reflecting the accelerating pace of arms racing and reliance on economic solutions to counter aerial threats, the Pentagon announced an expanded strategy to deploy counter-drone systems to protect forces and facilities in the Middle East by 2026.

These intensified steps by the U.S. Department of Defense (the Pentagon) are part of a broader strategy to address the growing and persistent threats posed by low-cost suicide drones in the region, shifting toward a more economically and militarily viable interception cost balance.