Drone Strike on U.S. Military Base In Iraq Wasn’t The End, It Was The Beginning

Footage has recently emerged of an Iranian-funded militia “Kataib Hezbollah”, performing a drone strike on a U.S. Military Base in Iraq, and it’s eerily similar to what we saw in Ukraine… four years ago.

As the ongoing U.S.-Israel-Iran war continues, we can expect to see a large number of similar videos popping up across the internet, from combatants on all sides. These fiber-optic First-Person-View (FPV) drones have been used in the Ukraine/Russia war for years now, and the footage shown below is eerily reminiscent of the beginning of that conflict. The operator appears rushed, hesitant to make a decision, and confused on how to properly maneuver the drone.

Needless to say, this is the first time we’ve ever seen FPV footage from a live U.S. Military Base (especially as the intended target), but I seriously doubt it will be the last.

Right now, that whole area is getting hit from multiple directions. Iraqi air defenses shot down a drone approaching Victoria Base on March 8. Two days later, AP reported more drones targeting military sites at the airport, including logistical support areas used by U.S.-led coalition forces.

Then over the weekend, another attack near Baghdad airport was blamed by security officials on drones and Katyusha rockets aimed at the same former U.S. base next to the airport.

It looks like a sustained effort to keep the airport complex, and anything tied to American operations around it, under constant pressure. That includes more than just Victoria Base itself. I reported on an incident that took place on March 10th, in which a drone struck the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, and the one that struck was one of six.

One of six is not a ratio we should feel comfortable with when discussing flying explosives that can hunt you down, especially within the confines of a U.S. military base or facility.

What Does This Mean For U.S. Military Bases and Installations Moving Forward?

Anyone arriving to a U.S. military base in the near future should enter with a higher sense of caution than standard. This single account shows a terrifying reality that we have to face: American positions do not have to be destroyed to be compromised. They just have to be forced into a state of constant defense.

Sadly, the U.S. government has not shown its capabilities in defending its installations, or the public against drone strikes.

Every drone interception burns attention, time, and money. Every rocket alert disrupts logistics. Every hit near the airport raises the risk for diplomatic traffic, contractors, military movement, and civilian operations nearby.

Reuters’ broader reporting this week said Iran’s Shi’ite allies, while degraded, are still dangerous and still capable of destabilizing the region through repeated strikes on U.S. and allied interests.

Fiber-Optic First-Person-View (FPV) Drones

As DroneXL covered in Fiber Optic Drone Webs Are Reshaping Ukraine’s Battlefields and U.S. Marines Test Fiber Optic FPV Drones At Sea, fiber-optic FPV drones use a physical cable instead of a radio link, which makes them far harder to jam with traditional electronic warfare tools.

ictoria Base, the diplomatic support center, and the rest of the Baghdad airport complex are already dealing with drones, rockets, and missiles. Add even a handful of jam-resistant, fiber-optic FPV systems into that environment and the economics get even uglier for the U.S.: cheap inbound aircraft, expensive countermeasures, and a cluttered target area could become the new “normal”.

DroneXL’s Take

The area near Victoria Base is starting to look like exactly the kind of environment drone warfare thrives in: cluttered, full of important infrastructure, and severely lacking in the Electronic Warfare (EW) department.

What stands out most here is how cheap the pressure looks from the attacking side compared to the cost of defending against it. A drone coming at Victoria Base.

More drones over the airport complex. Rockets landing around the same area. A separate drone strike on the diplomatic support center. A missile hitting the U.S. Embassy. It’s all shaping up to be a terrible week for the U.S.’s involvement in this conflict.

Let me know below – do you believe the U.S.’s domestic defenses are better than what’s shown in the video?