The progression of drone warfare in Ukraine has undergone notable changes |
Posted: February 17, 2024 |
Unlike any previous conflict, the Ukraine war has been significantly impacted by the presence of drones. These drones come in various forms, ranging from small quadcopters equipped with cameras and grenades that fly over front-line trenches to flying bombs carrying warheads weighing dozens of kilogrammes (pounds) into Kyiv and Moscow. Kyiv and other major cities have been targeted by invading Russian troops in recent months. These troops have employed Shahed "kamikaze" drones, which are of Iranian origin. In response, Ukraine has initiated its own unmanned assaults in Crimea and the Russian border region of Belgorod. The Russian government took the stance of accusing Ukraine of launching an attack on Moscow with the use of these devices, as of Tuesday. The image we see today is a significant departure from the exaggerated buzz that once surrounded the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones during the initial months of the conflict. The aircraft attracted considerable media attention and were lauded in songs for their pivotal role in demolishing Moscow's armored columns and the Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea fleet. Nonetheless, the prolonged conflict has resulted in the diminished importance of these models, specifically referred to as MALE (Medium Altitude, Long Endurance). As per an anonymous source from the European defense industry, the front line has been fortified and rendered impenetrable by the deployment of Russian defense systems, effectively countering airborne attacks, according to AFP. In the present scenario, the drone war has evolved into a game centered around numerical figures. A senior French military source revealed that air defenses play a crucial role in countering suicide drones. These defenses are employed to compel the defenders to utilize their missiles and exhaust their reserves. “You also create terror and uncertainty at all times. Over the long term, that has value,” the source added. Jack Watling and Nick Reynolds, analysts from the British defense think-tank RUSI, emphasized in a recent report the critical nature of Russia's ability to economically weaken enemy air defense. This is particularly significant as Russia's production of long-range missiles is limited to about 40 per month. Reports indicate that Moscow's air force conducts extensive deployments of aircraft to increase the number of potential threats and assess vulnerabilities in the Ukrainian air defense. The purpose is to identify areas where traditional missiles could potentially bypass the defense system. As per the European industrial source, Kyiv is known to deploy commercially available Chinese propeller-powered drones or old Soviet jet-powered reconnaissance drones for attacks within Russian territory. – Front lines – Smaller drone models are predominantly employed for reconnaissance and attack purposes on the front lines. Ukrainian soldiers have uploaded multiple videos on social media platforms demonstrating modified commercially available drones dropping bombs on Russian troops' positions. RUSI's Watling and Reynolds noted that there are typically between 25 and 50 UAVs from each side on a 10-kilometre front line. Ukrainian Furia and Russian Eleron-3 drones are specialized for particular tasks and have a range of up to 50 kilometers. In comparison, modified commercial quadcopters, many of which are obtained through crowdfunding, can only cover distances of less than 10 kilometers. The swarms have compelled both parties to employ electronic defenses, effectively decreasing the expenditure involved in countering devices that are too inexpensive to justify shooting them down with expensive missiles. As per RUSI's findings, the Russian forces have implemented a tactical approach of employing roughly one major electronic warfare system for every 10 kilometers of frontage. Moreover, there are enhanced electronic warfare capabilities that are specifically tailored and utilized at higher levels of command. The senior French officer highlighted that the Russians have escalated their electronic warfare operations, indicating a substantial transformation. RUSI reported that anti-drone weapons, like directional jammers and arrays for seizing UAVs, are now being utilized by individual Russian platoons drone jammer. Anti-drone “rifles” that emit jamming signals are “the absolute basics of defence, what really works are non-portable jammers deployed close to the front line”, the European industry source said signal jammer. Nonetheless, these "massive spheres on tripods with generators" are easily detectable and are predicted to have a limited lifespan, as they mentioned. – High attrition – The French officer characterized drone and anti-drone warfare as an innovative version of combined arms combat. Just like the existence of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, we also have drones, electronic warfare, and connectivity. The officer pointed out that the relentless pursuit to eliminate them leads to small drones having a short lifespan, typically lasting only four to six flights before being taken down. The Ukrainian government has stated that they are encountering a substantial loss of around 10,000 drones each month across their wide range of devices. However, the veracity of this assertion cannot be independently verified, leading to speculation that it may be a strategic move to secure greater aid from Western nations. If breakthroughs and counter-offensives cause front lines to shift rapidly once again, drones will remain pertinent. In the context of Ukraine's upcoming summer offensive, the use of drones to eliminate Russian defensive barriers, including dropping explosives into a minefield to create a clear path, is a strategy suggested by Vikram Mittal, a professor at the US military academy West Point, in an article for Forbes.
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