Ukraine recently used cheap drones to seriously damage Russian strategic bombers with bold attacks.
Ukrainian drone attack hits Russian air base
A massive Ukrainian drone attack hit multiple Russian air bases, causing Russia to retreat significantly.
- A senior US military official said it’s only a matter of time before drones are used in US “major casualty events.”
- Last year, the military tallied 350 drone invasions at domestic bases. Most were considered to be works of enthusiasts who wandered into limited airspace.
WASHINGTON – Cheap, weaponized drones pose a threat to military bases and civilians, leading senior military officials to predict that they will be used immediately to give “large casual events.”
Ukraine highlighted the risks to advanced military forces on June 1, when strategic military aircraft across Russia were damaged or destroyed on June 1. Targets like US military bases and major sporting events share similar vulnerabilities, officials say.
Neither the Pentagon nor the troops of other developed countries have come up with ways to protect them from small drones packed with explosives.
Authorities said.
There’s no one there.
The threat from drones to the military is not just overseas. Last year, the military tallied 350 drone invasions at domestic bases, according to the US Northern Command. Most of these were enthusiasts who probably strayed into restricted airspace, defense officials said. But some may have come from foreign enemies spying on the army. And some wonder if they could have carried the explosives.
How does the Pentagon, which spends around $1 trillion a year on defense, do such vulnerabilities? What is being done to address that, and how the future of drone warfare improves almost every day, we gain ways to gain greater urgency for lawmakers and military planners.
For most of the 20 years, the Pentagon had an unparalleled advantage in drone technology. Early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, predators and subsequent Grim Reapers allowed drones armed with Hellfire missiles to attack pilots from dark bases in the Nevada Desert on targets of extremists in the Middle East.
According to Congress’s Research Services, the Grim Reaper costs around $28 million. A small portion of that cost today can weaponize small drones and fly them to targets, with devastating effects.
“Ukraine could cost tens of thousands of dollars and bring back the capabilities of Russian bombers over the years,” Army Secretary Dan Driskoll testified to Congress this week. “The world has become more readily available to utilize established power dynamics at near-realistic times.”
Ukraine is at the forefront of militarized drone development. Inevitably, it requires an inexpensive alternative to stop Russia. Russia is a country with much larger military forces that benefit traditional weapons such as fighter jets, tanks and artillery.
Ukraine deployed first-person views (FPV drones) in attacks on Russian airfields. FPV drones allow pilots with headsets to guide aircraft to targets. In recent years, the technology has grown relatively inexpensively and has become relatively inexpensive. You can purchase an FPV drone for under $700 on Amazon.
The Ukrainian military refines its small drone technology and improves its efforts almost weekly to offset Russia’s measures, defense officials said.
A fatal attack
The pentagon is painfully aware of the threat.
In January 2024, Jordanian extremists launched a drone attack on a desert front post base as soldiers slept in their dormitory. Three people died when the drone hit the building.
Recognizing the urgency of the threat, the Pentagon began pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into counter-drone weapons. This includes electronic jamming devices that can cut links between operators and drones, making them harmless. Few missiles can be fired with far-flung drones, while shotgun-type weapons can be used by people nearby, officials said. Even nets can be used to hook drones into the air before reaching the target.
Protecting small drone herds is a difficult issue, officials said. There is no easy solution.
At Capitol Hill, Sen. Roger Wicker, Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, assured Army officials that Congress was ready to spend billions on drone defense.
After secretly discussing the drone threat before the senators and army officials retreated, Dorisco raised another vigilance about the threat.
“We haven’t done enough,” he said. “The current situation alone is not enough.”
