New Stealth Aspirations: Advanced Drone Adopts Distinctive Flying-Wing Airframe

The strategic significance of the Shahed-161 lies in its contribution to Iran's broader asymmetric warfare doctrine. Iran cannot compete with the massive conventional air forces of its regional adversaries or Western powers, so it invests heavily in cost-effective, easily deployable systems like armed drones and missiles. The Shahed-161, with its implied stealth features, is designed to challenge an adversary's air superiority by posing a difficult-to-detect threat. Its relatively small size and lower cost compared to its US counterpart mean it can be produced in larger numbers and potentially employed in "swarm attacks," a doctrine that leverages artificial intelligence to overwhelm sophisticated, yet finite, air defense resources. This emphasizes a shift from purely long-range, strategic attack (like the larger Shahed-136) to more tactical, stealth-focused penetration.