The advent of new technology has defined eras of war. Gunpowder ended the epoch of castles. Tanks transformed land battles in the 20th century. Then it was aircraft, and long range bombers. The world is in a new age of warfare, and it is drones. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been the introduction of this age, and it has also dictated who will become the dominant military forces in the globe. For better or for worse, countries must turn their attention to transforming their militaries for utilizing drones and drone warfare if they want to remain a capable power in the world.

Countries have pushed the limits of technology to bring their soldiers farther back from the front lines, and deliver strikes from distance. The United States boasts the world’s largest and most advanced military force of today, however the best weapons in its arsenal are incredibly expensive. A Patriot missile system is one of the best missile interception systems in the world, but costs a staggering $1.1 billion to produce (per system, which includes missiles and battery). Attempting to mass produce weapons of such a caliber is brutal for the United States governmental spending, and impossible for much smaller countries. However, modern drones designed for combat can achieve a fair amount of what interception systems such as the Patriot system can do, for the price of a family sedan. 

After 4 years of conflict in Ukraine, both armies have fully developed the process of drone warfare. High-tech surveillance drones do reconnaissance on potential targets, a military commander at the brigade headquarters then decides whether or not to launch an attack, before a drone unit near the frontlines gets the go-ahead and uses an FPV (First Person View) drone to deliver the strike. The accuracy at which FPV drones and small quadcopters can deliver hits is substantially greater than that of conventional artillery, which compensates for the lack of firepower compared to an artillery shell. To hit targets deep within enemy territory long-range, bomber drones are sent into the opposing country on one-way trips before releasing their warheads. Such long range drones are much harder to intercept or shoot down than a missile or aircraft. Of course, their impact is much less devastating. But in both cases, quantity beats quality without a doubt.

The undeniable adoption of drones into modern warfare casts a new light onto the strength of nations’ military forces, and their potential. China boasts the largest total of all drone exports, by a wide margin. Valued at around 3.122 billion dollars, Chinese drone exports dwarf the United States and the UK’s exports valued at  $634.4 million and $395 million, respectively. The Asian superpower is ranked number 1 in the world in drone manufacturing.

But aside from dominating the drone industry, China already produces one of the most used quadcopters in aerial strikes, the DJI Mavic. Not including the explosive usually strapped to one of these drones, the price is only $200 to $300 dollars. To put that in perspective, the United States government could hypothetically create a quadcopter force one million in strength, for under $300 million of their 1.05 trillion dollar defense budget. But though it may seem that America must play catch-up to retain its position of military dominance, the door has opened for the U.S. to get ahead of the curve and avoid another costly arms race. 

On the Ukrainian front lines, both armies are being pushed to adapt their drone defense systems to match the ever-growing scale of attacks, and now extremely effective drone stopping technology has been innovated to combat the onslaught of UAVs. Dubbed “Electronic Warfare,” the opposing countries’ methods of stopping drones are focused on disrupting the signal between its human controller and the machine, knocking out either the camera signal, motion inputs, or navigational abilities. These EW systems can be attached to a number of different vehicles, which are usually placed in front of artillery batteries or other highly targeted sites. Portable EW devices, known as “drone guns” have been useful for the Ukrainian army up until a few months ago, as their Russian adversaries have been more effective in frequency switching. Conversely, artificial intelligence has immediately become the cutting edge advantage in drone warfare. Naturally, with the implementation of AI drones do not need human control teams, and can navigate themselves. If the AI is advanced enough the drone may even be able to make decisions to adjust in a combat situation. 

American investment in either facet of drone warfare, offense or defense, will serve to propel them ahead in the growing global race to re-modernize militaries. It could prompt China to de-escalate their aggression over Taiwan, if they fear the United States will continue to have the upper hand, in terms of military strength. It would induce American allies to follow suit and build a drone force of their own, strengthening geopolitical presence across countries such as Japan, South Korea, and members of NATO. However, the United States should act fast to seize the opportunity, or face losing further ground against its competitors in the drone arms race. Such an opportunity won’t be available for long.