First appearance on Fox: The U.S. military took steps this week to improve its capabilities by ordering 5,880 unmanned aircraft systems small enough to fit in backpacks as combat realities shift in favor of electronic warfare. The contract period is 5 years or more.
Conflicts around the world, particularly the war in Ukraine, have significantly changed the way major powers think about waging war, Brett Velicovich, a drone expert and former U.S. Army intelligence special operations soldier, explained to Fox News Digital.
The nearly three-year war in Ukraine has seen children being put on trains, traces of trenches left on the Eastern Front and new concerns about how the geopolitics of the conflict could engulf the entire Western world. Scenes not seen since World War II have often been depicted. .
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A UJ-22 airborne (UkrJet) reconnaissance drone prepares for landing during a test flight in Kiev region, Ukraine, August 2, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)
But Ukraine's brutal response to the often outnumbered and sometimes outnumbered reality has completely changed the way major powers view the modern battlefield.
“Think about how we fought wars in the past,” Fox News contributor Velicovich said, citing the Vietnam War. “When we were fighting the enemy across that trench line, we didn't know who was on the other side of the hill. We saw a red cap and fired at it.”
“Now we can see what's on the other side of the hill and quickly maneuver our forces based on that,” he added.
a Wall Street Journal coverage This week, the U.S. military announced it had secured what is likely the largest purchase ever of small surveillance drones from Utah-based Red Cat Holding's Teal Drones.
The move is a significant step that the United States has been watching for more than a decade, since terrorists first began using small drone tactics against U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Velikovich, who regularly visits Ukraine to advise on drone technology, said the United States lags behind its biggest adversaries, such as Russia and China, in investing in drone capabilities.
Ukrainian soldiers search for a drone in a trench in an infantry position near Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on March 10. (Diego Herrera Calcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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The United States has invested heavily in advanced systems such as the Predator and Reaper, which are multi-million dollar systems designed for intelligence gathering and long-duration navigation flights and have missile attack capabilities. However, what is important are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are small and inexpensively manufactured. Changes in battlefield dynamics.
“These handheld small UAS systems can carry drones with bombs strapped to them. [have become] Now it's basically a cannonball. It's a guided artillery shell,” Veljković said, referring to unmanned aircraft systems, which include not only UAVs but also controllers operated by humans from the ground. It was very slow to get ahead of this. ”
It reportedly took about 15 years for the U.S. military to begin ramping up its short-range reconnaissance program with these backpack-sized drones, but this required some mental hurdles for the Pentagon to overcome. This was also a factor.
“It's a senior leadership mindset,” Veljković explained. “These are trained combat infantrymen. They didn't grow up with fancy technology.”
“We really need a lot of people to understand and change their thought processes. And that's happening now as the war in Ukraine accelerates and people realize how effective drones are. “Drones can no longer be taken lightly,” he said, noting that drones can no longer be taken lightly. Gimmicks and toys of the future.
“Now it's a reality. The present is here and the future is here,” Veljković said. “We will never go to war again without drones.”
The U.S. Army has acquired an unmanned aircraft system from Red Cat's Teal Drones as part of strengthening its short-range reconnaissance capabilities as battlefield realities shift toward electronic warfare. (Red Cat Holdings)
Teal Drones began developing UAS systems based on battlefield needs identified by the U.S. Army, ultimately developing a drone called the Black Widow, Red Cat CEO Jeff Thompson told Fox News Digital. I did.
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This sophisticated system can be operated by one person, resists Russian jamming, has strike capability, and can fly in GPS-denied zones. This is an important element highlighted by the Ukraine war.
“Short-range reconnaissance drones will really help increase warfighter lethality and make us safer soldiers,” Thompson said.
The US Army has given the green light to purchase unmanned aircraft. Each soldier equipped with Black Widow technology is given a so-called “system” that includes two drones and a controller, all small enough to fit in a backpack.
Each system, including the drone and controller, costs the U.S. government about $45,000.
However, as Johnson pointed out, the Ukrainian military Approximately 10,000 drones every month This suggests that the US needs to acquire much more than current levels.
A soldier with the Ukrainian Army's 58th Independent Motor Infantry Brigade captures a drone during testing for nearby use as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, Nov. 25, 2022, near Bakhmut, Ukraine. (Reuters/Leah Millis)
The Ukraine war showed that affordable drones, especially FPV drones, which stand for “first-person perspective,” can be made for as low as $1,000 each and can often be outfitted with explosives and used as suicide bombers. Ta.
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But drone warfare is more than just quantity; it's a “power game.”
“It's a cat-and-mouse game,” Veljković said, explaining that anti-drone technology, such as drones and jamming systems, is also constantly evolving. “This is happening on a level that most people don't realize.”
“It was like looking into the future,” he continued. “We are now looking at what is happening on the ground in Ukraine, and eventually we will have to fight a similar war, and we just need to be prepared. .”
