Stavros Atlamazoglou
The war in Ukraine is the first large-scale conflict in which unmanned aerial systems play a significant role. Although drones are not new by any means—the U.S. Intelligence Community and military pioneered their use back in the 1990s—Ukraine is the first war in which drones are used profusely on all levels of fighting.
Both sides use drones, artillery, missiles, mechanized assets, infantry, and electronic warfare (EW) among others to achieve their battlefields. But one side has a clear superiority when it comes to combining them for maximum effect: Ukraine.
The Ukrainian forces recently launched several counterattacks in Kursk Oblast, inside Russia. (The Russian forces have been trying to eradicate the Ukrainian salient since it was first created in August.)
In its most recent counterattacks, the Ukrainian military displayed robust combined arms capabilities. For example, in support of their mechanized formations, the Ukrainians deployed electronic warfare measures, thus creating a “bubble” around their forces and denying access to Russian drones. Unmanned aerial systems can either be shot down via physical means or “commandeered” via electronic warfare systems. At a point in time when drones are everywhere on the battlefield, potent electronic warfare capabilities are that much more important.
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