At the start of June, Ukraine completely surprised Russia with an attack that nobody saw coming. The attack began just before Ukraine and Russia were to have peace talks in Istanbul. The temperature on the talks was already heating up with pressure from the United States. The attack was called Operation Spiderweb, and took over a year and a half of planning. It involved 117 drones that were driven by trucks to remote Russian air bases. The furthest base was over 4500km from Ukraine’s border! Upon reaching the target, the truck’s roof was remotely opened, releasing hidden drones. In total, the drones set over 40 aircraft on fire and caused over $7 billion in damage. This offensive was a major win for Ukraine, and showed Russia that Ukraine too has sophisticated technology and is not afraid. 

Another tactic that Ukraine has used is ramming explosive-laden naval drones into Russian warships to sink them. All of these ideas are new – something no other country has done before, but these radical ideas are allowing Ukraine to keep the enemy at bay.

These revolutionary tactics beg the question: can drones change the course of military history? 

Drones are an incredible innovation. They are small, light, easy to control, and can be powerful enough to carry weapons. Although still a “new” technology for most people, they have so much useful potential. The military is always looking for ways to attack without risking people, and drones are almost the perfect solution. Drones are exceedingly maneuverable and precise, allowing small targets to be hit easily. They are also useful for reconnaissance, as they are hard to spot. Drones continue to change the landscape of war due to the low cost, ease of use, efficiency, and safety they afford. Also due to their cost-effectiveness, many can be used at the same time, further upping the chances of success. A swarm of 10 drones attacking a truck has a much higher chance of success than one missile launched from far away or some troops with weapons. And because drones are so maneuverable, it is much easier for them to hit difficult angles or hard-to-reach places, as they attack from the air. An even further advantage is the fact that with drones, large groups of forces will not be able to assemble. Lots of people or equipment are not easy to hide, so will be spotted immediately by drones and attacked. 

But there’s a catch. Due to drones being piloted from far away, signals need to be used to pilot them. Russia has started to turn off mobile phone networks to stop the drones, disrupting the daily lives of all citizens. Anti-drone measures make it more difficult to pilot a drone into enemy territory as the signals can be jammed and the drones rendered useless. Drones are not going to win the Russia-Ukraine war on their own – but together with other weapons they could tip the scales toward victory.