Iran's robotic arsenal is secret. But the experts that SVT News spoke to say that most of them indicate that the robots can do great damage.

- Someone has succeeded in knocking out an important part of Saudi oil production with some relatively simple robots. Imagine if there had been hundreds of robots. This suggests that Iran could threaten to do major destruction with its robotic arsenal, says Pieter Wezeman at Stockholm's International Peace Research Institute Sipri.

But he believes that Iran has a hard time resisting an attack.

- Iran has problems defending whether the US or Saudi Arabia would strike back by attacking certain targets in Iran, as Iran's air defenses have major limitations.

"Asymmetric abilities"

Erika Holmquist ,, who is an analyst and Iranian expert at the Total Defense Research Institute (FOI), says that Iran has not been able to modernize its armed forces in the same way as for example Saudi Arabia. Iran has been subject to sanctions, among other things. Then Iran has developed so-called asymmetric capabilities, she says.

- You compensate for not being able to have a normal functioning military force. Then you have developed your own robots and drones, she says.

"You support your enemy's enemy, often with simple means like weapons and with money," says Holmquist.

Two types of Iranian medium-range robots. Photo: Eva Eliasson / SVT Design

Robots reach far

It is already known that Iran's average distance robot Ghadr can reach around 1,600 kilometers.

Iran is also developing the Khorramshahr medium-range robot, which has a range of about 2,000 kilometers, according to its own data. But Sipri's assessment is that they can reach up to 2,500 kilometers because the technology originates from North Korea's ballistic medium-distance robot Musudan.

In February 2019, Iran conducted a test flight of the cruise robot Hoveizeh, which is said to have flown over 1,300 kilometers. But Sipri's expert on the Gulf, Pieter Wezeman, emphasizes that the range of the robots is not crucial.

- It is enough for 500 km or even shorter. There is no need to meet Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. In fact, it is enough to meet things that are close to the Persian Gulf, he says.

Saudi military in front of Patriot air defense during an exercise with the United States in Kuwait on February 19, 2018. Photo: US Army / Ella Ellis

Gaps in Patriot

The attack on Saudi Arabia's oil installations shows that their air defense does not fully protect. They have invested heavily in the US air defense Patriot.

- There are drones that can fly towards a target and drop a bomb or a robot. And there are drones that act as a cruise robot that can fly around and cause damage.

- If you attack oil installations, you do not need large explosive charges - if you hit the right part of the installation you have done a lot of damage. By simple means, Iran can wreak havoc, says Pieter Wezeman.

On Friday, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that the United States will strengthen Saudi Arabia's air defense. The US and Saudi Arabia have designated Iran as responsible for the attack.

Photo: Eva Eliasson / SVT Design

Half a million soldiers

Iran also has a large army with over half a million soldiers and over 300 operational fighter aircraft as well as a large navy with 21 submarines. Most are miniature boats and can operate quietly in the shallow Persian which.

The ability of the US and Saudi Arabia to hunt submarines is therefore crucial. The US Navy has traditionally been seen as the best at operating in deep oceans - not shallow inland oceans, although the ability has improved in recent years through exercises including Sweden.

- You have to find those 21 submarines or how many they are. They can do quite a lot of damage, says Pieter Wezeman of Sipri.

- Maybe you can compare that with Saudi Arabia's investment in a modern air defense and robotic defense. But they have not succeeded in pushing down the drones used against oil installations, he concludes.