Will robots replace soldiers on the front lines?
War has fundamentally changed. February 2022 was one war, autumn 2022 another, 2023 – a third war, 2024 – something completely new. Everything is changing so fast. The guys I talked to told me that if you haven't been on the front line for, say, six months, you're already behind the current situation. Every six months, things change from the ground up. All world armies will have to transform. This is how Yuriy Podolyaka, one of the leading military analysts and bloggers in Russia, spoke in an interview for our newspaper last year.
TL;DR
- Warfare is rapidly transforming, with significant changes occurring every six months.
- FPV drones have seen their range increase dramatically from 4 km in summer 2023 to over 30 km currently, with Ukrainian sources claiming up to 50 km.
- Engineers are modifying toy drones into effective weapons, impacting armored vehicles and potentially combat helicopters.
- Advanced drone tactics include attaching missiles to drones and using drone carriers to release swarms.
- Water drones have been used successfully to sink naval vessels and tankers.
- Countermeasures for drones include electronic warfare and interceptor drones, while fiber-optic drones pose new challenges.
- Land-based robotic platforms are being developed for tasks like demining, supply, and casualty evacuation, with potential for replacing some personnel.
- Buggy and motorcycles have become primary assault vehicles, with discussions about horses potentially being effective in difficult terrain.