Ukraine Military Drones Used As Alternative Fighter Planes Could Bring New Age of Warfare

It is over a year since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Although much of its civilian life has been affected, Ukraine responded by sending counterattacks at Russian positions. Both nations have suffered casualties and deaths of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

The longer the war lasts, the more likely Russia and Ukraine will adapt weapons systems with effective military tools. A handful of military technologies have been tested, and just recently, defense authorities have expressed their interest in using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the form of military drones.

Military Drones Used by Ukraine as Alternative to Fighter Planes Could Bring New Age of Warfare

(Photo: Pexels/ Rodolfo Quirós)

Military Advantage in Using Drones

Drones are proven effective in identifying, selecting, and attacking targets without human aid. First used in the early 20^th century, drones were initially developed as aerial missile deployers. As the revolution in military technology continues, drones have found various applications on the battlefield.

Compared to fighter planes, drones have more advantages for several reasons. First, they fly slower than an F-35 fighter engine and carry smaller payloads. They tend to invite ground fire and last several days before being shot out of the skies. Most of all, drones are easier to maintain, and no pilot needs to be sacrificed.

Much more can be done when thousands of drones are sent to enemy camps. Flocks of drones can overwhelm the antiaircraft defenses of the opponent. Even a single drone can also do a lot of tactics, such as dropping a small bomb in areas where targets are expected to appear.

As one nation uses drones as a military tool, its enemy nation responds with countermeasures by improving the design of its weapon. This can lead to weapon systems getting more expensive. Like fighter planes, drones used in the military started cheap and got pricier as the demand for them increased. However, they are gradually getting cheap again, unlike the fighters.

Redefining Warfare with Budget Drones

Russia and Ukraine look for low-tech alternatives, such as dumb artillery shells as substitutes for expensive missiles and drones as another option for fighter aircraft. It plans to have a military advantage for the Ukrainian military by boosting its combat drone capacity.

According to Defense News, Ukraine plans to allot a drone budget worth $540 million this year. This was confirmed by Ukraine's Minister of Defence, Oleksii Reznikov, who announced the country's goal to increase the purchase of UAVs for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which will be used for surveillance, artillery unit support, and other missions. The tax code rules in the country were also changed, so the importers of drones will be exempt from import duty and VAT for drones and their parts.

According to BBC News, nationwide drone projects are also implemented nationwide in the government's attempt to have a military advantage. Under these projects, shops and restaurants promote drone fundraising campaigns.

It recently launched budget drones from its territory, which were headed toward Russia.

The use of drones in Ukraine is seen as an inauguration of a new warfare age, the first step in bringing fully autonomous fighting tools to the battleground.