28 August 2024

Ukraine Is Now Dominating The Drone And Electronic Warfare Domains

Vikram Mittal

During their initial invasion of Crimea in 2014, the Russian military skillfully integrated drones and electronic warfare into their operations. Their electronic warfare systems caused chaos on Ukrainian communication networks and pinpointed the locations of Ukrainian units. Drones would then fly in and target the Ukrainian positions. This tactic proved highly effective, prompting many militaries to adapt their technologies and strategies. At the time, Russia was the leader in military drone and electronic warfare technology, particularly those employed at the tactical level. However, over the thirty months since they launched their full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost their edge in these technical areas.

Rather, Ukraine has emerged as a world leader in these fields as their defense industries are developing increasingly advanced systems for their warfighters. Indeed, both the Russian and Ukrainian industrial bases have been competing to innovate, develop, and deploy better technologies that can provide their soldiers with an advantage on the battlefield. This has been especially the case for drones and electronic warfare systems, as both technology domains rapidly evolved over the course of the war. In the ensuing cat-and-mouse game, Ukraine was able to outpace Russia in their development processes, allowing them to field more advanced systems faster, achieving an edge in these technical areas.

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