Has the future already arrived? Sure, we don't yet have flying or fully autonomous cars and we can't yet travel at the speed of light to get from one end of the Universe to the other, but when it comes to of the war, we are witnessing a rapid and major evolution in the sector. This is evidenced by the resurgence of weapons and equipment which do not require human intervention on the ground, but precisely far from enemy lines.
The Ukraine-Russia conflict as a picture of the robotization of war
In February 2022, the war returned once again to European soil since the conflict which involved Russia and Ukraine over the annexation of Crimea in 2014. For 1000 days now, fighting has raged in Western Europe. East, a country fighting to keep its land against another which seeks to dispossess it.
And to wage war, history has taught us that we need an army made up of men to which several technological bits can be added to improve it.
However, the war between Ukraine and Russia, if it began by seeing men confronting others, is gradually beginning to see more and more technologies replacing humans taking precedence on the ground. . In fact, the war of the future, that of machines, is increasingly becoming a reality of the present where unmanned vehicles now do “the dirty work” much more than human troops.
Drones, a thriving economy
War has always been a field of technological innovation to gain an advantage over one's adversary. Today, the time is no longer for catapults or cannons, but for drones and other vehicles without autonomous or remotely piloted crews.
Whether for reconnaissance or attack, drones are now part of the daily life of war. This is how in Ukraine, thanks to international support, but also thanks to a war effort by the population, the production of robotic technologies for military use has simply exploded.
If we are to believe the information relayed by The Defense Poston October 3, 2024, this changed from “almost non-existent” has “an industry that is poised to become a leader, at least, in Europe” according to reported comments from President Zielensky.
And to go in this direction, Reuters claimed in an article dated November 18, 2024 that the country had invested no less than 1.5 billion dollars in this new industry, although the country still depends on other countries to supply itself with missiles and other defense weapons aerial.
In flight or on land, these new robotic members of all the armies of the world can be both attack weapons and strategic fallback solutions, even medical evacuation.
More robots and fewer people
During a war, the goal is almost always the same: to achieve victory while limiting human losses as much as possible, regardless of the side. It is in this sense that the production of drones and their use have exploded since February 2022.
And if we think immediately and quite easily of the use of drones of the type Predator which are mainly used to destroy their target using missiles and which are the size of a small plane, we forget the very small devices. In time of war, if the weapon makes it possible to strike the blow of victory, the information makes it possible to establish the strategy. So to spy on your enemies, nothing beats a piloted or autonomous miniature drone that can sneak behind enemy lines.
And in the overall picture, in the eyes of leaders and high-ranking officers, the use of drones on the ground made it possible to limit losses. “The number of infantrymen deployed in the trenches has dropped significantly, and combat command can be done online from a remote point, reducing the risk of personnel being killed.” said Ostap Flyunt, an officer, Reuters.
Moreover, as Philippe Gros, researcher for the Foundation for Strategic Research, confided to Science & Life (Technology special issue n°310 “Where is the war going?” – November 2023), these new devices are more destructive than traditional cannons.
“It is no longer the Russian cannons that do the most damage, but the Lancets [ndr, des drones en forme de missile remplis d’explosifs qui n’ont pour but que d’aller s’écraser et exploser au contact de leur cible]”. A highly more destructive capability which allows on one side, as on the other, to avoid making a pilot take risks.
Build it, but also defend it
The fact that Ukraine now uses more and more drones in this context of war does not make it a pioneering country in this area. Russia, for its part, also uses it. Thus, if the production of drones has exploded significantly, anti-drone defense solutions have also appeared to be more than necessary.
As evidenced by a Ukrainian company cited by Reuters which, when it was born, produced drone jammers considered “uninteresting” and which today produces 2,500 per month. A significant production which comes in addition to the 1.5 million attack or reconnaissance drones which are built in Ukraine.
Source : Reuters
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
