Modern drone warfare, as seen in the Russian-Ukrainian war, has made all the conventional armour of warfare obsolete: great M1 Abrams Battle tanks, Leopard II Battle tanks and Challenger-2 Battle tanks, the pride of NATO, all stand in ruins, scattered across the landscape of Ukraine – not to mention several Russian prize specimens of hardware, e.g., the computerised, deadly accurate T90M, rusting in quiet locations awaiting collection by scrap merchants. It seems no machinery is safe from these drones on either side.
Russian Underestimation of Drone Warfare
Ukraine saw the potential in these drones during the early years of this new millennium, but the Russian hierarchy was a very late entrant to this new game. The Russian Army thought that just a few well directed shells would be sufficient to win the day. This was right up to 2022 and after the start of active hostilities. Ukrainians forcibly demonstrated the facts of the matter and Russia had to quickly adjust. Small private Russian developers came forward to fill the gap. These developers are more flexible and more motivated than establishment industries. They started to build drones and were a very valuable assistance to the Russian war machine.
Russia Turns to Iran for Help
At the same time Russia turned to Iran for its Shaheed triangular drones. As soon as these were delivered Russian engineers looked at ways to improve them. Changes made have been so extensive that the Russians have renamed them Geraint-2 drones. Ukrainians can source drone parts and electronics from the west and the USA but Russia has to largely stand on its own manufacturing base. Both Ukraine and Russia source their electronics parts from China. Russia uses Chinese chips which are nearly as good as western ones but are 20 times cheaper. Russia is happy with that. The secret of success is how intelligently these parts are used and incorporated into the drone electronics.
Drones are used to deliver explosive charge to the exact point of weakness of the enemies’ equipment, for the purpose of disabling it or otherwise rendering it useless. For example, the Abrams tank can be immobilised by a single charge delivered to its turbine. And further drones can be used to set off the munitions stored at the rear of the tank. The cost of a tank is several million dollars but a drone can cost as little as 2,000 dollars. This is a big financial imbalance in favour of the use of drones.
Drones are controlled by an operator wearing a headset and who controls the flight remotely using a gaming console. The drone can be directed to enter a weak point of the target and explode, killing all inside.
Types of Drones and their Uses
There are different types of drones depending on what purpose or what is needed. There are fixed wing drones and quadcopter type drones.
In war there is a very real need to be informed, to see what the enemy is preparing and to prepare counter measures in self-defence. First Personal View (FPV) quadcopter drones are where a controller can see where his drone is going and can see what it sees. The drone operator can see everything out there and can even go closer to have a better look. Here it is used for simple information gathering.
Such FPV drones can also be used in a Kamikaze fashion to carry a hand grenade or bomb to a target and blow up the enemy’s dug-out or trenches on a one-way mission.
Other drones can loiter (hover) very high up, unseen for several hours and then, when the enemy is unprepared, finally dive down to a target.
FPV drones can be very useful. They can be used to deliver supplies to troops fighting at the front: food and drink, or whatever is requested. It drops them and returns to base.
Electronic Jamming
Both sides actively seek ways to counter the opponent’s drones. It is drone warfare. Ways were developed to counter in-coming drones. Machinery was set up and powerful radio waves were generated covering a large area to knock out the electronics of incoming drones and render them useless.
To overcome this electronic jamming of drone control signals each drone was given a fine fibre optic wire which fed from the back of the drone back to the operator on the ground. This fibre optic is used to control the drone to the target over several miles and makes the drone invincible and unstoppable by jamming!
Because of all this, various types of drones were developed to bring down enemy drones, by attacking them directly. They tried firing nets at the opponent’s drones to disable them. Then, they tried disabling them by gunmen shooting down enemy drones and now Russia has developed a low-cost interceptor drone, Yolka which targets other drones with a physical collision! It seems to work! And now Russia has also introduced a battlefield electronic gun, to bring down Ukrainian drones.
There is talk of using laser beams to shoot down drones but at present these are unreliable and can only be used at short ranges due to poor visibility and climate conditions.
Evolution of Drone Warfare
But even now Ukraine has stayed one step ahead in its innovations. It has small private companies which can develop new ideas rapidly, forcing the Russians to catch up and produce counter measures.
This is the evolution of drone warfare at a tactical level. This is technological warfare. New ideas get superseded very quickly in this war keeping developers on their toes. But Russia has started to mass produce small drones in huge quantities, thus dominating the battlefield. They send out swarms of drones and flood the opposition’s defences. Some get through to the intended target(s).
The Ukrainians have developed a large, powerful six arm drone, called Baba Yaga (a malign witch in Slavic children’s fairy tales) capable of carrying a landmine of 6 to 8kg of TNT. When these detonate you have no illusions about its power! And when a second Baba Yaga arrives overhead all you can do is run for your life!
Luckily, Baba Yagas run hot on batteries. If you have a shotgun with an infrared view-finder they are easy to shoot down.
Ukrainians are very inventive. They use drones to ‘play dead.’ A partially complete drone lying on the side of the road is a valuable trophy. So, when opposing soldiers’ approach, seeing a wrecked drone, they go and pick it up and then it explodes!
They also put drones to sit and wait on the roof of a roadside building or at the top of a hill. When a Russian convoy comes along, they burst into action and attack the convoy.
Autonomous, Thinking Drones!
With the latest chips installed into drone electronics they will be able to think for themselves with autonomous target recognition making them ever more difficult to counter and neutralise.
The great problem Russia faces now is the vulnerability of all its intercontinental rocket installations and also its electronic shielding of its military installations and for its towns and cities throughout the Russian Federation. But this also applies to all valuable or strategic installations around the world. Just as we think things get better, they get worse. But not only military equipment, any person out in the open can be targeted by a drone carrying a bomb. This is the new reality.
Overhaul of Poor Equipment
When Russian experts look at the motors and controllers, they see real weaknesses. The Chinese make toys and the flight controllers and motors Russians are buying are not robust – they are still toys! Weak Chinese toys are being used by the Russians to defend themselves!
Military equipment needs to be tough to withstand battlefield conditions. It needs to be able to withstand mistreatment and still work properly. As soon as hostilities are over Russians plan to do a complete overhaul of the drone equipment design and specifications to bring it up to military standards.
High Tech is Supreme
Drone warfare is just another step in the process of increasing accuracy and economy of fire power in war. Early wars had hundreds of cannons firing off almost aimlessly. Now, war is deadly accurate with surgical strikes at the enemy’s weak spots. War has developed, it has become more lethal and deadly.
The side making the best use of drones and adapting and using electronic capability to the best advantage wins!
