How Drones Are Redefining Modern Warfare
In an interview with 'Glavcom', Yegor Sobolev, a commander of unmanned systems, stated that the dominance of drones is fundamentally altering the nature of war. This shift is diminishing the role of traditional artillery and rendering armored breakthroughs impossible. He predicts that drone-on-drone warfare will become the new reality, demanding new principles for military command and organization. This analysis reflects a broader, global debate on the future of conventional military hardware in an era of asymmetric warfare.
Yegor Sobolev commands the unmanned systems unit of the 12th Separate Special Purpose Center and is also a journalist and former member of parliament. His unit began operations as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platoon in early 2023 and later evolved into a company of strike unmanned aerial complexes (RUBAK). The unit's first drones were 'Mavics' and night bombers, which Russian forces refer to as 'Baba Yaga'.
Sobolev believes the new combat conditions have radically transformed the battlefield.
'War used to be like chess: you make a move, the opponent makes a move, trying to counter. Now, any action you take faces immediate enemy counteraction. The war has become much faster, larger in scale, and more diverse.' Yegor Sobolev
The commander emphasized that the role of artillery, once called the 'god of war,' is declining, and armored breakthroughs, which were the dream of many commanders, have become impossible.
Sobolev also pointed to the necessity of revising traditional approaches to managing the Armed Forces:
'The battlefield is screaming that all this requires a review: the dominance of drones is growing, and we need to build not hierarchical pyramids, like in the army of Frederick the Great, but a matrix system like Google.' Yegor Sobolev
Forecasts from Sobolev's team indicate that drone-on-drone warfare will soon surpass drone attacks on infantry, armored vehicles, and artillery. Armored vehicles, he says, have already become rare 'guests' on the battlefield, as drones can destroy them quickly.
Sobolev noted that:
- 'We started as a UAV platoon at the beginning of 2023, then became a company, a RUBAK.'
- 'Today we look at those early drones as a glorious but distant past.'
Sobolev also predicts that in the future, ground-based robotic complexes with various specializations will operate on land, analogous to today's soldiers. 'In places with bodies of water, surface and underwater drones will operate. Both will be integrated with flying drones into a single network, with software managing them simultaneously,' he stated, highlighting the trend toward integrating new technologies into military strategy.
These changes in the character of war underscore the critical importance of adapting military structures to new technological realities. The emergence of drones is shifting the focus from traditional combat methods to more flexible and rapid approaches, requiring armies to reassess their strategies and tactics. As unmanned technology advances, nations will have to find effective solutions for integrating these new systems into their armed forces to maintain combat effectiveness and competitiveness on the battlefield.