Disposable War Technology: How Russia and Ukraine are using single -use drones

During the last year, the war between Russia and Ukraine has been characterized by the general use of single -use dronesincluding drones with first person view (FPV) and merodeo ammunition. As countries prepare for the future battlefield, they incorporate the lessons of this conflict and develop similar drone systems for their arsenals. However, a recent technical report by Teledyne-Flir suggests that, instead of using single-use drones, future conflicts will need recoverable and reusable merodeo ammunition.

The rise of single -use drones

The characteristics of the war between Russia and Ukraine convenient the use of single -use drones. At the beginning of the war, both sides adopted the war with drones: Russia depended largely on the Orlan-10 for surveillance and Ukraine, TB-2 Bayraktar for attack missions. As the war progressed, Ukraine urgently needed more drones to support its land operations, so it turned to its commercial technological sector to produce them quickly. The first efforts had limited success, since the Russian electronic warfare systems easily neutralized the modified commercial drones that Ukraine used. Ukrainian drones companies responded by developing more sophisticated drones that were subsequently used to launch explosive loads.

These tactical advances were often ephemeralsince Russia adapted its antidron systems and Ukraine was forced to continually iterate new drones variants. Given the speed of innovation and urgency of the battlefield, designing drones for reuse was not practical. Even so, Ukraine succeeded with unidirectional attack drones, and Russia soon adopted similar tactics.

It is expected that deserting ammunition continue to support terrestrial operations in future conflicts. In fact, the US Department of Defense. He recently announced plans to reduce the financing of manned systems, such as attack helicopters, in favor of drone swarms. There is a growing opinion that infantry squads will soon operate as integrated soldiers, terrestrial robots and drones, and that the latter will provide both surveillance and precision attack capabilities.

The case of reusable ammunition

While merceurous ammunition will probably be essential resources in future conflicts, Teledyne-Flir argues that these systems should also be recoverable and reusable. Currently, many drones are wasted when they are blocked, they cannot locate objectives or cease to be necessary in the middle of a mission. In such cases, they are simply lost. A reusable mercuter ammunition, such as the Teledyne-Flir Rogue 1, could disarm and then recover, which would allow its use in a future mission.

According to the Teledyne-Flir technical report, reusable Merodeo ammunition would require a different design philosophy from that of single-use versions. Instead of being optimized for a single attack, these drones would be built to offer adaptability and durability. For example, Rogue 1 allows modular useful loads that include advanced sensors, aiming systems and specific ammunition for each mission. It also has robust processing capabilities, reinforced anti -interference systems and advanced navigation tools, allowing them to function in an interference environment.

While reusable drones have higher unit costs than disposable, Its total cost of the life cycle has the potential to be significantly lower. Single -use drones are lost after each mission, regardless of success. This is significant, since a large number of drones are lost by interference, since both sides use increasingly advanced electronic warfters. On the other hand, reusable drones can recover and reuse in these cases, which reduces long -term costs and logistics load, especially in high dropout environments.

Another significant advantage lies in training. Reusable drones allow operators to train on the platform, replacing active eyelets with inert useful loads. This accelerates training and improves the pilot’s competition. The Teledyne-Flir technical report indicates that Ukraine currently requires 30 days to train its drones in FPV drones. The report also provides that, with reusable drones, training is simplified, especially because the platform will probably be used for a considerable period.

In addition, reusable drones promote the development of swarm capabilities, in which several drones can coordinate to complete a mission. The swarm is a challenge when the drone fleet is composed of several different drones, each with a short useful life. The standardized and recoverable platforms simplify the coordination, since the swarm could be composed of a single type of drone, with different drones transporting different useful loads. Although it is not clear whether Russia or Ukraine have deployed true drons swarms, Most military analysts agree that these technologies will play an increasing role in future wars.

Challenges of reusable Merodeo ammunition

Despite their advantages, reusable drones have disadvantages. A concern is that standardized platforms are easier to detect and attack. Non -kinetic countermeasures, such as interference, can be mitigated with adaptable control systems that resist interference. However, kinetic countermeasures become more effective as the visual and acoustic signal of a drone remains constant, as would happen with a reusable platform. This facilitates that detection systems identify and attack the platform.

Another concern refers to the willingness to deploy reusable drones in high -risk environments. Single -use drones are relatively economic and are usually used intensively before they are obsolete, which encourages their rapid implementation. Reusable drones, with higher initial costs and a longer expected useful life, can be perceived differently. They can be treated as durable equipment registered in property books, adding logistics and administrative charges. This could discourage its intensive use, especially if there is concern about accountability or the risk of losing valuable equipment.

A mixed future

Drones will continue to influence future conflicts, but their design and use will vary. Teledyne-Flir presents a convincing argument in favor of reusable Merodeo ammunition, which offer notable advantages in training, profitability and adaptability. These systems also promote the evolution of more sustainable swarming tactics and strength structures. At the same time, single -use drones offer versatility, under unit cost and response capacity to emerging threats. Given the complex dynamic of the war with drones, it is unlikely that the armies of the future can depend exclusively on a model. Instead, it will be a combination of reusable and disposable systems, deployed depending on the needs of the mission, environmental conditions and strategic considerations.