The war in Ukraine is rewriting the rules of military confrontation: drones, artificial intelligence and marine robots have turned the front into a laboratory of lethal innovation. In a conflict where 70–80% of casualties are caused by unmanned systems, each month brings new weapons and countermeasures. Humanity is living, for the first time, in the era of robotic warfare. «Drones are not just the cutting edge of technology – they are the sharp edge of death,» said a retired American general in the spring. «If they had more money, Ukraine could produce four to five million drones a year.» Iuri Fedorenko, with the code name Achilles, believes that this would be the minimum necessary for Ukraine to remain competitive in the war started against it by Russia. Iuri is the commander of the 429th Autonomous Systems Separate Regiment. Ibrahim Naber, Politico's correspondent in Ukraine, talked with him about the new type of war. «In total, we are talking about 350,000 drones per month,» said the Ukrainian commander. «Only then will we be able to objectively achieve parity with the enemy, even surpass them in certain areas and maintain a sustained rate of destruction of their forces on the battlefield.» His estimate is based on Russia's ability to recruit between 25,000 and 30,000 new soldiers each month – more than enough to offset losses on the battlefield. «We need at least two drones per enemy soldier, plus additional drones for enemy drone pilots, logistics, artillery, storage facilities and so on,» Iuri calculated. «The more drones we have, the better.» In recent attacks in the Kupiansk region, Russian armored columns failed to even reach the front line — they were destroyed by Ukrainian drones before they made contact with the enemy. However, Iuri makes an important distinction: «Armored vehicles have not lost their relevance — they have lost their combat power.» But in a war with disproportionate forces like the one in Ukraine, a Russian tank without combat power matters. Russia's war against Ukraine has become a full-scale technological conflict, where 70-80% of casualties are caused by aerial drones, unmanned aerial vehicles. After three and a half years, the war has become a round-the-clock game of cat and mouse, in which each new weapon system provides only a brief advantage of two or three months before the other side develops countermeasures, notes Ragnar Sass, an Estonian tech entrepreneur and angel investor, in an analysis published on the Project Syndicate online platform under the title «We have entered the era of robotic warfare.» Humanity, he continues, is witnessing the first stage of the robotic war – in the sky of Ukraine, on land and at sea. The world's fastest military technological development is taking place in Ukrainian garages, basements and factories, where hundreds of small teams are building new model drones and interceptors. Many of them work around the clock from February 2022, without weekends or holidays. As soon as a new product is ready, it is taken to the front line. Soldiers test it the next day, and within 24 hours combat feedback is sent to developers, starting a new cycle. Some defense technology teams personally deliver their products to combat zones and work directly with soldiers on integration and iteration. «But Russia's war machine is also running at full speed, with many factories operating around the clock.
Russia's war against Ukraine has become a full-scale technological conflict, where 70-80% of casualties are caused by aerial drones, unmanned aerial vehicles. After three and a half years, the war has become a non-stop game of cat and mouse, in which each new weapon system offers only a brief advantage of two or three months before the other side develops countermeasures, notes Ragnar Sass, an Estonian tech entrepreneur and angel investor, in an analysis published on the Project Syndicate online platform under the title «We have entered the era of robotic warfare.» Photo: Hepta Read more on www.businessmagazin.ro
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