More than six months have passed since the war in Ukraine entered fully into one of the more deranged phases of the contest. We refer to a scene that, then, was more typical of science fiction: drones throwing drones To attack other drones. Over time these “mother” drones have become part of the day to day. What nobody warned is that there was going to be such a chaotic traffic that no one knows the flag of the drone that comes from the front.
Electronic war chaos. Yes, the saturation of drones in the Ukraine War has generated an unprecedented scenario where The electronic war It becomes a double -edged sword: in the attempt to block Russian drones, Ukrainian forces often interfere Your own devicescausing losses and dysfunctions in full operation. In the worst case, knocking down with each other.
This is because many drones of both sides use the same frequencies, as is the case with The Russian Zala and the Ukrainian Shark. When electronic war units seek to cancel the Zala, they also leave the Shark inoperative, essential to detect objectives that are later attacked by artillery and missiles. The confusion is such that, in some sectors of just one kilometer in front, there may be More than 60 drones in the airforcing a constant coordination that is rarely perfect.
The risk of saturation. In fact, They counted in Insider That the conditions on the front have generated panic situations in which soldiers, unable to quickly distinguish if a drone is an ally or enemy, choose to block all available frequencies or even shoot at any device in flight. This uncertainty is aggravated because many drones carry improvised explosives or throw grenades, an absolute asylum that leaves just seconds to the infantry to decide.
Signal superposition has also allowed operators, without proposing it, connect to the enemy drone transmissionreceiving involuntary information about their movements and objectives. No doubt, the phenomenon reflects the technical limits of electronic war in an environment where drone density exceeds any previous record in war conflicts.
The technological career. It We have counted other times. The magnitude of drone use has turned the battlefield into a Innovation laboratory In real time. Ukraine, lacking enough Western weapons And surpassed by the size of the Russian army, has opted for the mass production of drones of all kinds, from industrial models to creations in improvised workshops, reaching 2.2 million in 2024 and with the aim of doubling that figure in 2025.
At the same time, Russia ha Increased your investment In production and deployment, using dwarfs both on the front and in combined attacks against Ukrainian cities, where drones mixes Kamikazes with missiles To complicate aerial defense. The result is a dynamic of action and reaction in which both sides rehearse alternative systems, such as fiber optic drones resistant to interference, improvised armors against air attacks and enhanced platforms by artificial intelligence.
Consequences for the current war. The Ukrainian experience shows that modern war is fought not only with projectiles, but also With electronic signals that can decide the effectiveness or failure of an offensive. The so -called “war fog” has moved to the electromagnetic spectrum, where frequency saturation turns the sky into an ungovernable space.
At the same time, interference errors, the vulnerability of the systems and the improvised creativity of the combatants are sitting precedents that will influence in the armies of the future. If you want, the lessons learned in Ukraine (from the need for stronger identification protocols to the redesign of electronic warfare -resistant drones) will mold the way in which the powers integrate swarms and electronic countermeasures in their doctrines.
Image | State Emergency Service of Ukraine, National Police of Ukraine
In Xataka | The war in Ukraine has entered its deranged phase: there are drones throwing drones to attack other drones
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