The evolving dynamics of drones and counter-drone systems in modern warfare

Harsh Kumar Upadhayay

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAVs), or Drones, are radically changing the face of warfare in the 21st century. The use of armed drones like the ‘MQ-1 Predator’ caught the popular imagination of security professionals, researchers and defence analysts due to their extensive use in counter-terror (CT) and counter-insurgency (CI) operations by the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places. Besides conducting CI and CT operations, drones have extensively been deployed for intelligence and reconnaissance missions by many countries worldwide.

The recent conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the conflicts between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition in West Asia, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War have seen extensive use of combat drones and drone swarms. Since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the debate on drone warfare has further intensified and gained traction as drones have exhibited a credible…