Recently drone warfare came up in the comments. Here are some videos I've found helpful in understanding this evolution of battlefield technology. There's a lot of focus on drones in warfare, but it's not exclusively that.
I would be very interested in any other sources any of you consider useful for understanding this aspect of warfare.
Task & Purpose offers a 16-minute overview of the development of drone warfare going back to the 19th century and bringing it up to about November 2023. (There's a sponsor ad in it after the intro. Skip to 2:17 to miss that, although it is a drone ad if you're interested.)
T.REX ARMS / LABS has a good series on drones. The first is a 25-minute dive into drone warfare in the Ukraine/Russia conflict. I've then posted the rest of their 5-part series below that.
Here's a former MARSOC drone operator talking about the types of drones he flew in Iraq, what he did with them, and some things to consider for future conflicts.
Trent Telenko has been posting Twitter threads on topics Ukraine-related for a while, such as this one about drone use. (He's of the opinion that we're way behind in information warfare, including drone and counter-drone measures.)
ReplyDeleteApparently Mexican drug cartels have been quick to learn how to use them.
I've been working on the issue in my professional life, which I don't much discuss here. The US military is way behind on this, based on lessons learned in Ukraine. We still think of drones as something the Air Force should run, but increasingly it's every infantryman who needs one. They need to be cheap, mass produced, and have a supply chain that is 100% free of Chinese-made parts or components for parts. And we're nowhere near there.
ReplyDeleteOne obvious use is intimidation by organized crime (including Antifa et al here), as the Mafia went after judges and police in Italy. When the drones get quieter, expect assassinations.
ReplyDeleteThanks, james. I'll check it out.
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