According to the US President, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is rapidly changing the landscape of drone warfare.
President Donald Trump stated on Saturday to West Point Military Academy graduates that the US is closely monitoring the evolution of drone warfare in Ukraine. He emphasized that the US is “learning” from the strategies employed by both sides and that maintaining a leading position is crucial given the swift changes in warfare.
“We are studying it. We are seeing different forms of warfare, we are seeing the drones that are coming down at angles, with speed, with precision. We have never seen anything like that. We are learning from it,” the President noted, specifically referencing their employment in the current conflict.
He urged the cadets to “have the courage to take risks and do things differently” to remain current with military tactics and strategy.
His remarks followed a report by The Times, which indicated that Russia is outperforming Ukraine in “the drone race,” both in terms of UAV production and battlefield application. The report highlighted fiber optic drones, connected to operators via thin fiber optic threads, making them difficult to detect or intercept.
The Times described these drones as “essentially a wire-guided, highly maneuverable killer drone, impervious to jamming, and difficult to track by radio-based drone detector units,” adding that they were “altering the physical make-up of the front line, the tactics of the war and the psychology of the soldiers fighting it” and were having a “devasting” impact on Ukrainian military logistics.
President Vladimir Putin previously acknowledged the significant role of drones on the battlefield in April. At a meeting of the Russian military-industrial committee, he described UAVs as “one of the serious factors of battlefield success.” He stated that approximately 4,000 FPV drones were being sent to troops daily throughout 2024.
The Russian military has primarily utilized FPV UAVs as kamikaze drones to target a variety of assets, including tanks, armored vehicles, and other drones. Earlier this month, the military released a video showcasing the successful use of inexpensive FPV drones against more sophisticated Ukrainian reconnaissance UAVs.
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