It happened a few hours ago and is already considered by most analysts such as most important blow Kyiv from the beginning of the conflict. However, and beyond the reach that will have for the contest, the unprecedented attack of a swarm of Ukrainian drones in Russ The localized war.
Remote surgical blows. We have told it for months. The fight that is taking place in Ukraine has changed forever the War concept For the use and appearance of an actor who has even created an unpublished military industry: The drones (low cost). In that sense, and although both sides have been developing their swarms, Ukraine, motivated by the lack of artillery and resources, has been elevated as a pioneer In many ways.
Spiderweb. As We count todayin the last of them, in the operation baptized as “Spiderweb”, more than 40 aircraft were reached in various Russian air bases, including strategic bomber Tu-95 and TU-22m3, as well as one of the few early a-50 alert planes that still retains Moscow.
The operation not only decreases the Russian offensive capacity tangible, but it compromises its long -range fleet, fundamental for missile attacks launched from Russian territory beyond the reach of Ukrainian defenses. However, the “distance” attack is just one more in the history of the contest. War has ceased to be a Purely geographical matter.
The heart of the Russian Navy. In fact, in parallel to air attacks, Ukraine also He has managed to damage Seriously at the Black Sea fleet, a key source of Russian naval pride and power. A particularly symbolic example was the attack that left in flames A Russian Lanzamisile Cruisewhose ammunition exploded after a fire on board, forcing the ship to evacuate and causing serious structural damage.
The analysts They compared their loss with the sinking of an American battleship in World War II or a modern aircraft carrier. Shortly after, at the beginning of 2024, a swarm of naval drones driven by aquatic motorcycles destroyed the ship missile launcher Ivanovets. Night images showed Russian soldiers fiercing frantically while at least two drones hit the ship’s helmet, causing massive explosions. These setbacks marked a chain of naval losses for Moscow that undermined the operational capacity of their fleet in the black Sea.
Kerch attack. Another of the blows that serve as an example for this war “without soldiers or borders” was the attack to Kerch bridge In July 2023, one of the most symbolic infrastructure of Russian domain over Crimea. Inaugurated after the annexation of the Peninsula in 2014 and built for about 3.7 billion dollars, the bridge was essential for both the military supply and for everyday life in Crimea.
The SBU, in coordination with the Ukrainian Navy, achieved bombard the structure through the use of an experimental marine drone. Although Moscow minimized the impact, he admitted the death of two civilians and considerable damage on the road lanes. The attack, beyond its practical consequences, was a direct blow to Putin’s personal prestige, who He had personally promoted The project as an integration symbol. A few weeks ago and as we counted, another unpublished action converted the first unmanned boat In war history: Yes, a marine drone threw missiles and knocked down a Russian hunt.
Of Ukraine to the rest of the world. The war in Ukraine, therefore, has become The biggest laboratory Contemporary of Non -manned combat. From FPV drones launching mines to suicidal water motorcycles, new strategies are tested every day. The impact is not only tactical: the visibility of these systems and their low cost have accelerated the global race to dominate them.
In Nagorno-Karabajfor example, the Turks allowed Azerbaijan to obtain A decisive victory No terrestrial superiority. United States, meanwhile, Impulsa Fleets of USVS under his Ghost Fleet initiativewhile China displays mother ships for unmanned sea swarms Like the Zhu Hai Yun. Russia Bet on UUVs for undercover mining and intelligence in the black Sea. All these actors share an objective: reduce human risk and increase the strategic scope without scaing conflicts visibly, because There are no borders.
What is coming: ia. Given the limitations imposed by the electronic war, natural evolution points to the use of mass drones with artificial intelligencecapable of identifying and setting objectives without the need for direct communication with an operator. These UAVS They cannot be interferedbecause they do not depend on external signals.
Although its deployment is still limited, pilots and manufacturers agree that they represent the immediate future of the air war. The possibility that electronic protection extends so much that conventional FPV makes obsolete drives a career for Develop tactic Able to guide drone swarms with full autonomy. Under that prism, drones will not only be more precise, but also more difficult to trackfaster in reaction and less vulnerable to remote deactivation.
A point and apart. Many of the operations carried out in the Ukraine War have shown that there are no longer safe areas within the borders of a country at war. In SpiderwebUkrainian FPV drones were transported in camouflaged trucks such as mobile houses, crossed thousands of kilometers of Russian territory and were thrown just a few meters from strategic bases such as Belaya and Olenya, destroying or damaging those more than 40 bombers.
These attacks were not only tactically successful, but they broke the notion of depth Strategic: even areas such as Siberia or the Kola Peninsula (considered for decades as impregnable) were available to improvised and economical armament. The operation, therefore, marks a radical transformation in the modern war: the rear has ceased to exist.
There is no invulnerable nation. The phenomenon, in addition, is not exclusive to Russia. As The Wall Street Journal countedcurrent technological abilities (long -range drones, embarked, autonomous navigation systems) are eroding traditional geographical barriers. United States, China, Iran and Türkiye are developing swarms of drones that can be launched from civil, underwater or land platforms without depending on real -time operators.
In short, war, as conceived in terms of delimited fronts and “combat areas”, dissolves to mobile, precise and low -cost systems that can infiltrate any point of the enemy territory. This implies that, in future conflicts, from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East, no critical infrastructure (by remote or protected that is) will be out of reach.
Thus, the war is no longer freed in the front: now, the whole country is the front.
Image | Farsnews.ir, Picrysl
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