Ukraine’s all-drone, multi-domain attack could be a ‘seminal’ moment in warfare

Monday, January 27th, 2025

Ukraine successfully pulled off an all-drone, multi-domain attack on Russian positions near Kharkiv in December:

UGVs conducted the full spectrum of mission sets including surveillance, mine clearance and direct fire, supported by uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), the official stated before explaining how the “tactical air-land operation” represented the first instance of an “uncrewed battle fought by one side” in the ongoing war.

Reflecting on the attack, which appeared at the time as merely a “footnote in daily reporting,” the official went on to describe it as a “seminal moment in the changing character of conflict.”

Warning “Ukraine faces today what [NATO] could face tomorrow,” the speaker went onto describe how Ukraine’s military continues to place a premium on attritable technologies to create combat mass,” before adding: “Ukraine has made the most of turning industrial disadvantage into a furnace of innovation.”

Comments

  1. Michael van der Riet says:

    The Russians proved to be quick learners and use drones just as lethally as the Ukrainians. It’s not like tanks that take a decade to develop. The advantages of a new drone technology last a couple of weeks. Ukraine hits a Russian facility with drones and Russia hits back, rather indiscriminately I am told. It’s like holding your hand in front of your face and challenging, “I bet you can’t hit my hand before I snatch it away.” Anyway now that Trump has pulled the plug on Ukraine, Zelensky would be advised to take his stolen billions and find a nice peaceful Caribbean island to buy.

  2. Freddo says:

    From the little reporting I have seen that attack felt more like a technology demonstration with limited impact (see goliath mine tank).

    The (alleged?) downing of a Russian helicopter by an attack from one (or more?) marine drones is more impactful.

    In either case the genie is out of the bottle and not done playing.

  3. T. Beholder says:

    Warning “Ukraine faces today what [NATO] could face tomorrow,”

    Or, to look at it from another angle: Zelensky after almost 3 years of war attrition wound up in much the same situation where NATO already finds itself via… [write in].

    explaining how the “tactical air-land operation” represented the first instance of an “uncrewed battle fought by one side” in the ongoing war.

    Did they have any other options by that time?

    Freddo says:

    From the little reporting I have seen that attack felt more like a technology demonstration with limited impact

    Yet it generated advertisement, turd-polishing and filler between other news. To think of it, doesn’t this summarize almost all reporting on that mess by the Good and Great?

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