Learning from the Ukrainian Battlefield: Tomorrow’s Drone Warfare, Today’s Innovation Challenge


Loading...

Date

2024-08

Publication Type

Report

ETH Bibliography

yes

Citations

Altmetric

Data

Abstract

Russia’s war in Ukraine has undoubtedly become the single most important conflict for understanding how drone warfare may take shape in the future. This research report identifies nine key takeaways based upon a comprehensive analysis of combat-proven practices from the Ukrainian battlefield. These lessons cover technology, doctrine, and policy alike. The report’s five chapters examine the main opportunities for improving drone capabilities across functions and operational domains. They also highlight the persistent challenges accompanying the development, integration, and deployment of new uncrewed systems. Importantly, however, drones are not a panacea for achieving strategic victories or winning wars. This report therefore makes an effort to manage expectations about drone capabilities while emphasizing the central role of human capital. Indeed, when combined with new enabling technologies, skilled specialists produce effective drone performance.

Publication status

published

External links

Book title

Journal / series

Volume

Pages / Article No.

Publisher

Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zürich

Event

Edition / version

Methods

Software

Geographic location

Date collected

Date created

Subject

Organisational unit

03515 - Wenger, Andreas / Wenger, Andreas

Notes

Funding

Related publications and datasets