Kuwait Reinforcing Air Defense With Cost-Effective Counter-Drone Systems

BusinessAerospace & DefenseKuwait Reinforcing Air Defense With Cost-Effective Counter-Drone SystemsByPaul Iddon,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist focused on Middle East affairs.Follow AuthorJun 07, 2026, 10:36am EDTA damaged drone is pictured during a military drill at the US Camp Arifjan in Kuwait City, on May 4, 2023. (Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat / AFP) (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesWith its territory still facing regular attacks from Iranian ballistic missiles and explosive drones, the State of Kuwait has requested anti-drone systems to reinforce its national air defense. While Kuwait already boasts considerable air defenses, the Iran war has highlighted the necessity of building layered defenses with more plentiful, cost-effective systems and interceptors, especially for countering persistent threats like those posed by cheap but lethal Iranian drones. Despite the ceasefire that went into effect on April 8, Iran and its allied militias have continued attacks against the Gulf states, including Kuwait. Kuwaiti border posts were targeted by militia drones launched from its northern neighbor, Iraq, in late April. In late May, Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Ali Al Salem Air Base. Satellite imagery showed damage to that base; U.S. troops there suffered minor injuries from falling debris, and two MQ-9 Reaper drones were badly damaged. On Wednesday, a deadly drone attack on Kuwait International Airport left one person dead and 63 injured.During the war, an Iranian drone attack targeting an operations center at Kuwait’s civilian Shuaiba port killed six U.S. service personnel, which became the first American fatalities of that war. Aside from concrete barriers, that makeshift base notably had nothing protecting it and those personnel inside from drone or missile attacks, according to a CNN report.A press...