In recent years, drones have emerged as one of the defining technologies of modern warfare. These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ranging from small commercial quadcopters to sophisticated long-range systems, have dramatically reshaped the battlefield. Their low cost and ease of deployment make them particularly attractive to governments around the world. Nowhere has this shift been more apparent than in the ongoing war in Ukraine, where drones have played a central role in intelligence gathering, targeting and ultimately direct attacks on enemy hardware and personnel.

The Ukraine-Russia drone war

The conflict in Ukraine has served as a testing ground for drone technology and countermeasures of all types.

One of the most notable recent developments was a large-scale Ukrainian drone swarm attack on Russia in early 2024. Dozens of drones were launched in a coordinated strike against oil refineries and military infrastructure deep within Russian territory, including in the Belgorod, Tatarstan and Krasnodar regions. This attack demonstrated not only Ukraine’s growing capability to strike behind enemy lines but also the increasing threat posed by coordinated UAV swarms. More importantly it signalled a change in tactics by Kyiv and brought the use of drones to the fore.

Russian officials at the time claimed that the majority of the drones had been intercepted and prevented from reaching their targets. This, Moscow claimed, was achieved primarily using electronic warfare systems and surface-to-air missile defences. However, satellite imagery and open-source intelligence later confirmed that at least some of the drones had evaded Russian defences, causing significant damage to infrastructure. The incident underscored the difficulty of detecting and neutralising large numbers of small, low-flying drones simultaneously.

Just days ago too, a Ukrainian drone strike destroyed more than 40 Russian military aircraft deep inside Russian territory, according to Ukraine’s Security Service as was reported across the world.

A senior Ukrainian military official, speaking anonymously to AP, said the long-range strike took more than 18 months to plan and carry out, and was overseen directly by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

According to Zelenskiy, the operation involved 117 drones and was coordinated from a location near the local office of Russia’s FSB intelligence agency.

Footage shared on social media by Russian outlets appeared to capture drones emerging from containers on the back of trucks. After launch, the drones struck 41 aircraft at several military airfields on June 1, including long-range bombers such as the A-50, Tu-95 and Tu-22M. The Tu-95 and Tu-22 have both previously been used by Moscow to launch missile strikes on Ukrainian targets, while the A-50 aircraft serve in reconnaissance and command roles.

Ukraine’s Security Service claimed later that the operation had destroyed around 34% of Russia’s fleet of missile-carrying aircraft AP reported. Russia’s Ministry of Defence acknowledged the attacks, adding that aircraft were also damaged and fires had broken out at airbases in the Irkutsk region, over 4,000 kilometres from Ukraine, and in Murmansk, in the far north. 

Drone use in combat

Beyond simply attacking the enemy, drones have been pivotal in other ways on the front lines. In eastern Ukraine, both Russian and Ukrainian forces have deployed thousands of first-person-view (FPV) drones for reconnaissance and direct strike roles. These drones, often equipped with explosives, are guided by operators wearing video goggles, allowing them to perform ‘kamikaze’ missions with pinpoint accuracy. More and more videos are now appearing on social media showing direct strikes on individual troops left with nowhere to run when spotlighted by an FPV.

Recent footage from battles near Avdiivka and Bakhmut has also shown how these devices are used to neutralise tanks, destroy bunkers and harass infantry units.

Ukrainian drone units have become adept at modifying commercial drones and coordinating strikes across wide battlefronts. In response, Russian forces have invested heavily in electronic countermeasures, including signal jamming and spoofing, to disrupt drone communications and navigation.

There are, however, other methods to limit drone effectiveness at the front.

Methods of countering drones

Given the escalating use of UAVs in modern combat, militaries across the world are reportedly developing a range of counter-drone technologies and tactics. These can be broadly divided into three categories: kinetic, electronic and procedural.

1. Electronic warfare (EW):
Electronic countermeasures are among the most widely used methods for neutralising drones. These include GPS jamming, radio-frequency jamming, and signal spoofing. Russia has deployed several mobile EW systems, such as the "Krasukha" and "Repellent" series, to protect critical assets and disrupt drone operations.

However, EW is not altogether foolproof. Many commercial drones are pre-programmed with return-to-home or follow-me functions, which can be triggered even when a signal is lost. Furthermore, modern swarm attacks often use autonomous drones that do not rely on continuous operator input, making them much more resistant to jamming.

2. Kinetic defences:
Traditional air defences, such as missiles and anti-aircraft guns, even lasers can be used to destroy drones, but they are often too expensive or slow to respond to small, fast-moving UAVs.

As a result, there has been a surge in the development of purpose-built systems like the Israeli "Iron Beam" and the US-made "Coyote" interceptor drone.

In Ukraine, both sides have resorted to more improvised solutions, including small arms fire from any weapon to hand, and even shotguns with a wider pellet dispersal area. Additionally, radar-guided autocannons, such as those mounted on the German-supplied Gepard systems, have proved effective against low-flying drones.

3. Procedural and tactical adaptations:
In addition to hardware solutions, troops on the battlefield have adapted their tactics to mitigate drone threats. Ukrainian forces have become quite accomplished at using camouflage, smoke and decoys to deceive drone operators but movement of troops and machinery is often restricted to times of poor visibility, and units frequently change positions to avoid detection.

In some cases there are even reports of inflatable decoys being used to draw fire away from real tanks, APCs and the like.

In tandem with the above, portable radar systems, acoustic sensors and visual spotters are also used to warn of incoming UAVs, thereby giving ground units time to react or at least seek cover.

The future of counter-drone strategy

NATO and other military alliances are now investing in layered counter-UAV systems that combine sensors, EW tools, kinetic interceptors and AI-driven command systems. The goal, simply put, is to detect, track and destroy drones in real time across varied environments.

As such, emerging technologies such as directed-energy weapons (e.g., laser and microwave systems) promise to provide cost-effective defences against drone swarms – at least in relatively open areas. The British Army is just one established military force that has trialled laser weapons capable of shooting down drones with pinpoint precision and minimal collateral damage.

It is presumed Chinese efforts along the same lines have also at least begun based on the presumption that tech-rich Taiwan – a long-time target of China across the narrow Taiwan Strait – will itself play the role of underdog similar to Ukraine in any future conflict initiated by Beijing. Taipei has already invested heavily in military-capable drone tech as a form of self-defence, with a number of UAV variants and even kamikaze sea-drones known to be in production or at various stages of development in the self-governing country, albeit with payload capabilities and range a closely guarded secret.

For now, though, no single method has proved entirely effective, especially against swarms and autonomous drones. As drone technology becomes more sophisticated and widespread, military planners must adopt a multi-layered approach that combines technology, tactics and training to effectively counter this growing threat. The war in Ukraine has not only exposed vulnerabilities of even the best equipped militaries across the world, it has also accelerated innovation in one of the most critical domains of future warfare.