For starters, militaries should invest in drones, defence experts said. Whether they risk falling behind by not doing so, however, depends on what the respective states are trying to achieve.
“In terms of strike capabilities, for example, if a state wants to acquire those capabilities, but perhaps lacks the budget or the resources to invest in high-end fixed-wing aircraft or missile platforms, then drones might actually provide a viable alternative,” said Dr Ian Li Huiyuan, a research fellow at RSIS.
“Of course, the state will need to be cognisant of the limitations in its capabilities, but at least you will have something, as opposed to not having something.”
The adversaries also matter.
“Why does Iran, for example, focus on cheap drones? I think the main reason is that its adversaries or its main competitors, like the US and Israel, have access to very high-end technological capabilities, which they will not be able to match if they were to go like-for-like,” Dr Li added.
“So they need to find some way to kind of close the gap between them, and I think drones provide the option for them to do so.”
Drones have proven that they can deliver tactical results. But can these unmanned aircraft single-handedly determine the outcome of wars?
RECENT WARS
As drones transform battlefields, militaries around the world are readjusting their priorities.
The United Kingdom unveiled its Defence Investment Plan in late June, announcing its “largest ever drone investment”.
More than £5 billion (US$6.7 billion) will be set aside over the next four years to build drone capabilities across Britain’s armed forces.
“As the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine show, drones are rapidly reshaping warfare, with cheap systems destroying high-value targets and innovation cycles measured in weeks, not years,” said the UK’s defence ministry.
The British navy’s ageing warships will not be replaced, while new “hybrid” vessels equipped to deploy drones will be built.
South Korea plans to acquire 20,000 military drones to fend off North Korean threats, similarly citing lessons learnt from wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Calling drones “game changers on the battlefield”, South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the drones would include short-range reconnaissance drones and small attack drones, known as loitering munitions.
