Michael Peck
A Ukrainian drone pilot argues a massive drone swarm could clear a path through enemy lines.
The pilot, Illya Sekirin, is calling for 40,000 drones to barrage a 6-mile-wide sector.
His vision calls for using drones similar to the way tanks were employed a century ago.
Behind the minefields and obstacles, the enemy waits in their entrenchments, poised to strike at tanks and infantry trying to advance through the treacherous ground. Instead, tens of thousands of drones descend on their positions, blowing up vehicles, artillery, and bunkers and clearing a path for friendly ground troops.
This is the vision of a Ukrainian combat drone pilot who believes that armies need to create a separate branch for uncrewed aircraft systems and electromagnetic warfare — and go on the attack.
"Breakthroughs with large mechanized formations are becoming a thing of the past and static warfare, like the positional stalemate in Ukraine, appears to be the new norm," Illya Sekirin wrote in an article for the British Army Review. "As a result, the role of the UAS and electromagnetic warfare branch would be particularly useful in breaching enemy fortified positions through the use of massed offensive actions."
Drones — along with artillery — have become the dominant weapons in the Ukraine war. In particular, while tanks are still a major weapon on the battlefield, they no longer enjoy the supremacy they once had. Hordes of small first-person-view drones have made life hazardous for hulking, expensive weapons such as armored vehicles and artillery pieces, which now operate cautiously and under the protection of air defenses and electronic-warfare systems.
"FPV drones (also known as loitering munitions) have become so effective that they, at a cost of around $350 to $450 per asset, can now be described as the Ukrainian army's principal anti-tank weapon," wrote Sekirin, who has combat experience operating the DJI Mavic 3, a piloted drone popular with hobbyists as well as Ukrainian soldiers.