Why Tackling Iranian Drones Is A Job For Israel’s Helicopter Gunships

Dramatic videos are emerging of Israeli AH-64 Apache helicopters shooting down Iranian attack drones. The advanced U.S.-supplied helicopters are pursuing and destroying propeller-driven drones with bursts from their 30mm cannon. But the encounters illustrate an interesting point: the drones are getting past Israel’s world-class interceptor missiles and have to be stopped at close range. In a long war, helicopters vs drones could become a crucial factor in protecting civilians.

Iron Dome Protection Comes At A Cost

Israel has a layered air defence missile system, comprising the long-range Arrow, the medium-range David’s Sling and THAAD and the short range Iron Dome. Between them, these are capable of tackling everything from ballistic missiles launched from Iran to home-made Qassem rockets fired from Gaza.

This system is supported by a complex network of radar and other sensors and has proven extremely effective at swatting down missile attacks mid-air. When Iran attacked Israel in 2024 with a barrage of over 300 missiles and drones, around 99% were successfully stopped.

But this capability comes with a cost. The larger missiles cost millions apiece. Even the smaller Tamir interceptor missiles fired by Iron Dome cost around $40,000 each. While Israel has a stockpile of thousands of such missiles, supplies are not endless, and cannot be replenished quickly. They could shoot down drones, but using them against such low-cost targets may not be a smart move.

As we have seen in Ukraine, Russia uses thousands of Iranian drones to wear down missile defences, running down stocks of the interceptors needed to take out ballistic missiles. Smart defenders learn to save their missiles for the important threats, and leave the smaller and less dangerous drones to lower-cost methods.

Ukraine has developed a whole ecosystem of weapons to take down Shaheds, including hundreds of mobile air defence units armed with machineguns fitted with thermal imagers. They also use helicopter gunships to intercept the drones and shoot them down with automatic cannon fire – exactly the same tactic we are now seeing in Israel.

Apaches Versus Shaheds

Israel operates an updated version of the AH-64D Apache helicopter gunship known as Saraf (‘Serpent’). This has a top speed of around 200 mph, compared to the 120 mph of the Shahed, and is armed missiles plus a with a 30mm chain gun firing 10 rounds a second. The gunner aims simply by looking at a target – the Integrated Helmet and Display Sighting System automatically swivels the gun to point wherever they are looking at — and can lock on to moving targets.

The Apache’s gun was originally designed for use against ground targets such as personnel and light vehicles, but the upgraded software can tackle air-to-air targets too. Drones like the Shahed which fly in a straight line with no attempt to evade ought to be sitting ducks.

Even so, some of the videos suggest that pursuits may take some time. An unconfirmed report on Twitter/X claims “Four Israeli apache AH-64 helicopters chasing a single drone for past half hour and so far drone operator has successfully dogged [sic] them.” This may be propaganda, or a misinterpretation of helicopter patrols, or a sign that intercepts are harder in practice.

Some Russian-made drones now have the auto-evade system as known as Ukhylyant (“Evader,” but also “draft dodger”) which carried out evasive maneuvers when it detects another aircraft nearby. This sort of system could make drones harder to shoot down.

There is also a huge danger from friendly fire. Helicopters flying at the same speed and altitude as attacking drones can easily be hit by defensive fire from the ground. Preventing this requires a high level of co-ordination and discipline among the defenders. Needless to say, losing a $50m helicopter while pursuing $30,000 drones would be a disaster even if no lives were lost.

Iran has also demonstrated a jet-powered version of the Shahed known as the Shahed-238, which at more than 300 mph is too fast for helicopters to catch. These may start to appear if the slower drones fail.

Winning A War Of Attrition

There are already suggestions that this may be a prolonged campaign, in which case the attacks on cities are likely to continue. Russia has bombarded Ukraine continuous with drones, launching as many as 472 in one night in a effort to wear down defenses. Israel can deal with such numbers in the short term, but after a while the magazines will start to run down.

Unlike Ukraine, Israel may be able to carry out airstrikes to destroy Iran’s drone production, storage and launch sites. But until that happens, there may be significant numbers of drones flying, and it will be down to the helicopter crews to stop them. Like Ukraine, Israel may also turn to interceptor drones, though these will take months to develop and field.

In the short term, expect to see more such helicopter-drone intercepts, and rapidly evolving tactics and technology on both sides.