The Russia-Ukraine War has become the proving ground for some of the latest innovations in military technology. This is most immediately apparent in the rapid evolution of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones. These range from reconnaissance and surveillance drones, which maintain an “eye in the sky” above the battle space, to combat UAVs that drop munitions and kamikaze drones used to strike enemy targets.
At sea, Ukrainian marine drones have swarmed enemy warships, sinking or seriously damaging a large portion of the Russian Black Sea fleet and chasing it out of Sevastopol port in the occupied Crimean peninsula. Ukraine is also starting to field unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in logistics, supply, evacuation, and combat roles.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainians have often had the upper hand in drone development and deployment. However, as with any new weapon, the opposing side typically moves quickly to devise effective countermeasures against their opponent’s advantage and develop similar weapons of their own. This relentless arms race has been a key feature of the war in Ukraine throughout the past two and a half years.
According to US military experts, the window between the first deployment of an improved drone design and the appearance of countermeasures is usually just over a month. Responses can range from electronic interference to copying drone designs and combat tactics. It is a lethal game of whack-a-drone that has led to the testing of, among other technologies, autonomous target acquisition and increasingly autonomous drone operations.
Voice of Ukraine 