The future of warfare is here — and it’s terrifying.
Kamikaze Drones
Ukraine is asking its Western allies for more weapons after accusing Russia of using both homemade and Iranian-manufactured “kamikaze drones.”
As CNN reports, Ukraine is accusing Russia of targeting its capital of Kyiv with small, self-destructing drones, as well as the cities of Vinnytsia, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, among others.
According to the report, Iran tried to sell kamikaze drones to Russia earlier this year. In August, Russia’s military purchased some of them and began training service members how to operate them.
The Ukrainian military also claims to have shot down similar drones made by Russian defense contractor and weapons manufacturer Kalishnikov.
Remote Detonation
Unlike traditional, weaponized drones that drop munitions and return to whoever is controlling them, these remote-controlled weapons are called “kamikaze” or “suicide” drones because they’re disposable and meant to blow up upon detonation.
US military officials claim Russia’s drones are using obsolete technologies and “have already experienced numerous failures.”
In late September, Department of Defense official Sasha Baker told reporters that “the idea that [these drones] represent some technological leap ahead, frankly we’re just not seeing borne out in the data.”
Ghosts and Switchblades
Ukraine has also claimed that Iranian nationals in Russian-controlled parts of the country are training the invading soldiers how to use the weapons, the Associated Press reports. This could indicate that Russia is running out of its own kamikaze drones.
As Department of Defense officials told reporters earlier this week, the kamikaze drone escalation has reemphasized Ukraine’s desire for air defense systems.
Russia isn’t the only side of the conflict making use of the technology. Ukraine has its own homemade kamikaze drones as well, but has primarily been relying on its allies for remote weapons support, including the American-made Switchblade and “phoenix ghost” suicide drones, according to CNN.
There appears to be no shortage of drone warfare in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, confirming that we’ve truly entered a new era of warfare.
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