https://x.com/nikgerassimow?s=21&t=3zqd7V66yBrqNNfRCVGT2g
Nikita Gerassimow writes about Ukraine on X. He also post in Telegram. He has an interesting article on the use of drones in the Ukraine war.
The face of war is changing rapidly. This article is worth reading.
Cheers
Qazulight
Qaz
the link to X took me to German language posts in X. Do you have a link to English language comments on drone?
D fb
A few drone links that may be informative.
What we’re seeing in Ukraine is largely very different from that. We’re seeing an explosion of drones used, primarily relying on cheap, small commercial aircraft to provide eyes on the battlefield. That’s first and foremost how both sides are using them, is really for reconnaissance and to improve their ability to target artillery. But they’ve also been using them as well to strike.
So these smaller commercial-grade drones, they’ve been modified to be able to carry things like a grenade. And so it’s really a contrast on the battlefield in that you have these sort of trenches that might make you think of the First World War, but then a drone is flying overhead and drops a grenade into it. So we have this sort of mix of old and new on the battlefield.
Traditionally, air power has been the preserve of major militaries and really only the great powers because you had to really climb these high hurdles in terms of science and technology and organization and finance. You know, aircraft and air forces are very expensive. But with this diffusion of commercial-grade drones, we’re seeing that you can place those kinds of capabilities - the ability to operate in the sky, to spy from the sky, to drop munitions - in the hands of, you know, smaller, medium-sized militaries and, frankly, even individuals.
The NPR seems to indicate that drone warfare drastically alter way of war.
An opposing viewpoint:
Since the start of the war, Russia has relied heavily on electronic warfare (EW) to jam, spoof, or destroy Ukrainian drones. Russia’s use of EW isn’t haphazard; it forms a core component of its warfighting doctrine. The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) reported in May that Russian forces employ one major EW system every 10 kilometers across the front line. Smaller directional jammers are employed at the platoon level while more sophisticated EW systems are used for rear area defense. According to RUSI, Ukrainian forces were losing about 10,000 drones a month due to Russian EW.
Tunnels have played a role in countering drones: Russian forces reportedly used them to move between their trench lines during Ukraine’s counteroffensive to avoid detection from above. Ukrainian forces even deploy fake howitzers, tanks, and radar systems made from plastic as decoys to trick Russian drone spotters into wasting ammunition. And to further minimize the risk of detection by Russian drones, Ukrainian forces prefer to conduct offensive operations between sundown and sunrise when it is harder for drones to spot infantry movements.
Ad hoc counter-drone innovations have proliferated across the battlefield too. Russian tanks commonly sport metal screens to protect themselves from overhead drone attacks, although smaller and faster first-person view (FPV) drones can still get through. While these adaptations were initially derided as “cope cages,” other militaries have caught on: Israel outfitted its Merkava tanks with metal cages before launching its invasion of Gaza after seeing how effective Ukraine’s drones were against unprotected Russian tanks in the early phase of the war.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/drone-war-intensifies-between-russia-ukraine-in-latest-strikes/ar-AA1lBA2x
Drone war intensifies between Russia, Ukraine in latest strikes
In any case both sides are using drones. So the question remains. Are they effective? Or are they just used to reduce morale of the opposong force.?
Light weight drones carrying a grenade are inexpensive but not very powerful. The Predator is armed with a single anti tank missile.
Fully automated jet fighters with lots of fire power are very possible. But of course they will be costly and dear requiring much more protection. And you want to bring them home and reuse them. What’s taking so long? Probably in development but not yet public.
Jamming is a weakness of radio controlled equipment. Of course cruise missile technology that follows map terrains to target are also possible. What’s taking so long? And if target moves, AI should be able to spot the new location and identify the target.
Its great to hear US navy has defenses for drones. Cheap drones have potential overwhelm defenses.
The arms race continues as always. Lots of ideas. And now tested in battle. Creating new ideas. Same old, same old.
No I do not. I have translate all of his post using Google translate built into my X app.
I believe if he posted in English he would be censored.
Cheers
Qazulight