War of the drones

We have always understood that drones were a battlefield game changer.

1     It  allows direct deep surveilance of the entire battlefield.  This can be done by both sides.  I

t also allows individual attacks against individual soldiers.  All this is enough to force the whole line to essentially button up.  That means timber bunkers with cover like in Korea.  Any concentration inside artillary range becomes impossible.

2      The technology also allows drones able to take out jet fighters.  Yet even now, we see javelins particularly doing just that.  Low flying fighters just became way to expensive.  I do expect drones to soon drive manned jet fighters from the sky.  It is just too easy.

Artillary now becomes eyeball to eyeball duels along the whole front line.  We are back to WWI battle environment.  This means no progress until you have highly trained infantry and no one has that type of leadership discipline.  There will be few safe areas.

War of the drones: 

How Russia and Ukraine have utilised modern UAV technology against one another since Putin's invasion… and how their unmanned fleet comparesDrones have capacity to locate soldiers, fire missiles and provide better visuals

In year since Russia invaded Ukraine, drones have become integral part of war

By RACHAEL BUNYAN 

 1 April 2023 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11915963/Russia-Ukraine-war-sides-utilised-modern-drone-technology-Putins-invasion.html

The constant buzzing of drones in the skies amid the roar of artillery fire has become part of daily life for soldiers on the front lines in Ukraine.

Drones - small in size and often cheap - have the capacity to locate soldiers and ammunition supplies, drop bombs and provide better visuals of what is happening on the battlefield.

And in the year since Russia invaded Ukraine they have become an integral part of the war, with both sides playing a game of 'cat and mouse' to see who can come up with the best technology and tactics.

While Russia has far greater resources - both in terms of soldiers and equipment - Kyiv believes drone innovation is one area where it can begin to catch up with Moscow.

For Dr David Jordan, Co-Director of the Freeman Air & Space Institute at King’s College London, Ukraine has gained a 'greater benefit' from drones compared to Russia as they have acted 'instantaneously' to real-time intelligence gained from the UAV's data.

And in the year since the Russia's invasion of Ukraine, drones have become an integral part of the war, with both sides playing a game of 'cat and mouse' to see who can come up with the best technology and tactics. Above: A graphic showing how different Ukrainian and Russian drones compare

'The Ukrainians have used drones much more tactically on the battlefield than the Russians have. They've been innovative and drones have been real force multipliers in terms of giving the Ukrainians options and the ability to track Russian targets and destroy them,' Dr Jordan tells MailOnline.

'Ukrainian forces have really evolved with the help of drones, particularly in terms of information gathering and surveillance. Drones have really bolstered Ukraine's war effort.'

Indeed, Krystyna Marcinek, of the American think tank RAND, says drones have allowed Ukrainian soldiers to have 'a situational awareness for multiple missions at the same time along the front line,' meaning they have been able to launch a series of attacks at once.

Dr Jordan and Marcinek also point to how important commercial drones - like Ukraine's DJI Mavic - have been in the war as they are cheap and expendable, meaning they are no huge loss if they are destroyed compared to expensive fighter jets.

Here MailOnline takes an in depth look at how the different Ukrainian and Russian drones compare.