AIR WEAPONS: American Drone Debacle

[rangerrebew]

 
AIR WEAPONS: American Drone Debacle

Ezoic

September 27, 2025: The United States has provided most of the military aid Ukraine needed in its war with Russia. American military advisers began working with Ukrainian forces in 2014, after Russia seized Crimea and portions of two adjacent provinces from Ukraine. The United States was not about to go to war with Russia over this, but that was always a possibility because Ukraine wanted to join NATO. Russia opposed this and believed that Ukraine should be part of Russia.


Between 2014 and early 2022, there was some low-level combat in the contested provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. That changed when Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. The invaders believed that the Ukrainians would not offer any effective resistance and would quickly surrender. Three and a half years later, the war is still ongoing, and the Russians are losing, with over a million dead, disabled, or missing troops. Economic sanctions imposed on Russia have, according to Russian leaders, done serious damage to their economy.

Meanwhile, Ukraine, benefiting from over $200 billion in Western military and economic aid, has seen its economy grow. At the same time, Ukraine invented a new form of warfare, using millions of cheap drones to cause most of the casualties and dominate the battlefield. Ukraine offered this technology to its NATO supporters, especially the United States.

 https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairw/articles/202509277349.aspx#gsc.tab=0

[BobfromWB]

While the Pentagon brass wrestle with the idea of cheap drones [ mind you just the basic models ], Russia is cranking out 50,000 fiber optic drones a month. The biggest order by the US was for making 20,000 drones a year.

Pentagon planners have no idea of the scale needed to compete in the FPV and fiber optic drone world.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

While the Pentagon brass wrestle with the idea of cheap drones [ mind you just the basic models ], Russia is cranking out 50,000 fiber optic drones a month. The biggest order by the US was for making 20,000 drones a year.

Pentagon planners have no idea of the scale needed to compete in the FPV and fiber optic drone world.

Am convinced that we should be working on anti-drone weapons program as a top priority.

[BobfromWB]

Am convinced that we should be working on anti-drone weapons program as a top priority.

Already countered in the Russia-Ukraine war. There is so much ECM in the war, its unbelievable. Spend billions on so anti-drone weapon only to have it countered a week later. There is no panacea.

[Smokin Joe]

Already countered in the Russia-Ukraine war. There is so much ECM in the war, its unbelievable. Spend billions on so anti-drone weapon only to have it countered a week later. There is no panacea.

Barrage balloons with nets...but then, the balloons would be targeted.