The war in Ukraine has become a proving ground for a new generation of warfare: the widespread use of low-cost, highly effective drones. From the skies over the Donbas to the waters of the Black Sea and even deep into Russian territory, drones have redefined the battlefield. In this conflict, commercial quadcopters, modified hobbyist drones, and military-grade unmanned systems have all played critical roles, transforming the nature of combat and prompting a global rethinking of military strategy.
What sets this war apart is the effectiveness and affordability of drone warfare. Small drones costing only hundreds or a few thousand dollars have been used to destroy tanks, artillery systems, and personnel. Using first-person view (FPV) systems and simple explosive payloads, Ukrainian forces have struck Russian armored columns with stunning precision. Some analysts have described this as the "democratization of airpower," where a soldier with basic training and a $500 drone can neutralize a $10 million weapon system. These tools have allowed Ukraine to level the playing field against a larger, better-equipped enemy.
But drones have not only changed tactics on the front lines. Ukraine has used long-range drones to strike deep into Russian territory. In Operation Spider Webs they were hitting oil refineries, command centers, and military airfields hundreds of miles from the front. These high-precision, low-cost strikes have demonstrated a new form of strategic warfare that is asymmetric, mobile, and harder to defend against than traditional missile systems.
The effectiveness of drones has launched a new arms race in real time. Both Ukraine and Russia are developing electronic warfare tools, anti-drone guns, and jamming systems to counter the threat. Meanwhile, dedicated drone teams using FPV headsets now operate in a way akin to elite snipers. These drone operators, who trained using video games, are mobile, and surgically effective. There is also rapid innovation in sea drones, which Ukraine has used to damage Russian naval assets in the Black Sea, challenging conventional naval power.
These developments have not gone unnoticed in the United States. Pentagon officials are now urgently studying how to protect American forces and infrastructure from similar attacks. Critical questions are being raised: How do you defend air bases, power grids, and urban centers from swarms of small drones? What role should artificial intelligence play in future drone operations? Should drones be given autonomy to select and strike targets without human intervention?
The ethical and strategic implications of AI-enabled drones are profound. Autonomous drones could potentially respond faster than human-controlled systems, but they also raise serious questions about accountability, civilian casualties, and loss of human oversight. The race to build smarter, more lethal, and more autonomous drones is already underway, with China, Iran, Turkey, and the United States all investing heavily.
The war in Ukraine has shown the world that drones, airborne, ground-based, and aquatic, are not just support tools for scouting but decisive weapons. This shift represents a new kind of arms race, not just in hardware, but in algorithms, swarming tactics, countermeasures, and real-time battlefield AI. The age of drone warfare has fully arrived, and it is reshaping how wars are fought.
Guest:
Evelyn Nicolette Farkas is an American national security advisor, author, and foreign policy analyst. She is the current executive director of the McCain Institute, a nonprofit focused on democracy, human rights, and character-driven leadership.
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This episode will be recorded on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
