Miguel Jorge
WriterJournalist. I've spent more than half of my life writing about technology, science, and culture. Before landing here, I worked at Telefónica, Prisa, Globus Comunicación, Hipertextual, and Gizmodo. I'm part of Webedia's cross-section team.
The war in Ukraine has sparked an unprecedented military transformation, with drone warfare redefining modern combat. In the early months of 2022, the conflict primarily involved rifles and machine guns along tree lines. However, the battlefield is currently dominated by swarms of kamikaze drones and precision strikes, with recent attacks becoming increasingly unhinged.
A new form of warfare. Earlier this year, The Guardian highlighted how Russian and Ukrainian troops now engage each other from miles away using swarms of First Person View (FPV) drones. These small but lethal devices, equipped with explosives, have fundamentally changed the nature of combat.
“It’s like the job of a sniper,” Ukrainian soldier Dima told the British outlet while showing a video on his phone. The footage depicted an FPV drone “patiently” tracking a Russian soldier before striking with lethal precision.
The democratization of air strikes. Advancements in drone technology have resulted in no safe places in conflict zones. The accessibility and effectiveness of these devices have democratized air power. They enable any military unit, even those without traditional air force support, to execute precision strikes. Samuel Bendett, a drone expert at the Center for Naval Analyses, pointed out that FPVs transitioned from novelty in 2022 to primary offensive tool by 2023, effectively dominating the tactical landscape today.
Drones are the ideal weapon for guerrilla forces because of their speed, ability to operate at night, range of up to 12 miles, and extremely low operating costs. As a result, nothing on the battlefield is entirely safe. Drones compel armored vehicles to move quickly and reduce the time that troops can remain in one location. Additionally, they’ve rendered many conventional military tactics obsolete. This shift in tactics is evident in the erratic strategies employed by North Korean forces.
“Mothership drones” shooting drones against other drones. One of the newest battlefield strategies involves the use of “mothership drones.” These are large unmanned aerial vehicles designed to carry and deploy smaller kamikaze drones during flight. This approach extends the operational range of FPV drones, allowing them to be released behind enemy lines without depleting their limited battery life before reaching their targets.
In a documented incident, a Ukrainian “mothership” was recently captured on video launching a small explosive drone at a Russian ISR drone. This incident exemplifies the evolution of unmanned aerial warfare, which is no longer confined to engagements between fighter jets and missiles but now includes swarms of drones of various types.
Armed drones: from shotguns to rifles. Since the beginning of the conflict, Ukrainians have been experimenting with “vitaminizing” drones, equipping them with explosives, grenades, and even missiles. In recent months, there have been significant advancements in the use of firearms mounted on both aerial and ground drones.
For instance, Ukraine has developed FPV drones capable of firing double-barreled shotguns, enabling them to engage Russian drones in aerial combat. Despite challenges with recoil, engineers have improved the drones’ stability, allowing them to fire multiple shots without losing control. A recent video demonstrated one of these drones shooting down three Russian drones before targeting an enemy soldier on the ground.
Additionally, Ukrainian drones have taken out enemy unmanned aerial vehicles with shotguns, such as the AK-74, mounted on drones. Although maintaining accuracy during flight remains a challenge, these drones can fire bursts into Russian trenches. While this type of drone hasn’t yet been deployed on a large scale, it’s part of a growing trend to use them as combat platforms equipped with conventional firearms.
Armed robotic turret. ArsTechnica reported on a notable innovation in armed ground drones: the Burya. This tracked ground drone is equipped with a grenade launcher turret that can fire up to 64 grenades at a distance of 330 feet.
The Burya features trigger control software and gyroscopic stabilization for improved aiming. It’s currently in mass production and being used on the front lines. In the future, it’s expected to be integrated with aerial reconnaissance drones to receive target coordinates in real time.
New tactics for electronic warfare. Recent advancements in electronic warfare include the development of innovative drones equipped with retractable claws or magnets. These drones are designed to capture and seize enemy drones mid-flight. The concept is reminiscent of the claw machines found in arcade games, but it has a serious purpose: to disarm adversaries while airborne.
Another noteworthy development is the Pliushch, an unarmed ground drone equipped with a 32-foot communications mast. Its primary function is to act as a radio repeater on the battlefield, extending communication signals to advanced units. Additionally, it can function as a mobile electronic warfare station, jamming enemy communications.
Fiber-optic drones. Given the intensity of electronic warfare on the front lines, many drones have become ineffective due to Russian signal blockers and jamming systems. To combat this issue, Ukraine has started employing fiber-optic drones, which avoid detection by refraining from emitting electromagnetic signals.
Image | Adedotun Adegborioye | National Police of Ukraine
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