The cost of each of the US’ drone attack munitions:
The number of Drones currently available to Iran:
- Up to 80,000 loitering munitions, particularly the Shahed-136 type. Some reports indicate a manufacturing capacity of around 5,000 to 10,000 drones per month at a cost between $20,000 and $50,000 per drone.
Fact check me but:
- To destroy all of the Iranian drones using Patriot Missiles would cost be between 240 and 400 Billion US Dollars
- To destroy all of the Iranian drones using SM-2/SM-6 Missiles would cost between 166 and 344 Billion US Dollars
- To destroy all of the Iranian drones using ESSM Missiles would cost between 136 and 144 Billion US Dollars
- To destroy all of the Iranian drones using Coyote Interceptors would cost 8 Billion US Dollars
- To destroy all of the Iranian drones using AGR — 20 Missiles would cost 2,8 Billion US Dollars
The problem is, The US doesn’t have enough missiles to complete the mission:
Based on 2026 production data, here is how long it would take the US to manufacture enough missiles to destroy that fleet of 80,000 drones. Even if we could produce enough to destroy the 80,000 drones, Iran can still manufacture 5,000 to 10,000 per month.
| Munition |
Annual Production (Approx.) |
Time to Build 80,000 Units |
| Patriot (PAC-3 MSE) |
~650 units |
123 Years |
| SM-6 Naval Missile |
~125–500 units |
160+ Years |
| Coyote Interceptor |
~6,000 units* |
13 Years |
| APKWS Rocket |
~25,000 units |
3.2 Years |
