"Facing an existential crisis, the Ukrainians had to develop a way to counter hostile forces cheaply yet with mass. That meant figuring out how to turn inexpensive drones into weaponry, a step that quickly and fundamentally changed how the war was being fought. Now, drones carry out 80% of all battlefield hits and are responsible for most combat casualties."
""We're still a very capable force as a US Army," Amacker said; however, "there is a new capability that we just don't have fielded across the force yet.""
"The Army has been increasingly prioritizing small drone operations, using them the way that the Ukrainians do, to direct fire and drop grenades, among other actions."
US Army doctrine historically emphasized small drones for surveillance and reconnaissance, creating a capability gap in offensive employment. Russia's invasion of Ukraine spurred rapid Ukrainian adaptation of inexpensive commercial drones into weaponized systems used en masse to strike targets. Those drones now perform roughly 80% of battlefield hits and account for most combat casualties. The US has increased training and production to mirror Ukrainian tactics, shifting Army priorities toward small drone operations to direct fire, drop grenades, and support artillery. The Aviation Center of Excellence established an Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course at Fort Rucker to teach lethal employment and integration of small drones.
Read at Business Insider
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