Not sure why the drone issuee is such a key point the only reason the Russians and Ukrainians ars using drones is they both lack quantities of artillery systems and anti tank capability
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I think the drone issue is part media sensationalism and part propaganda. That isnât to say that drones arenât dangerous to tanks, they certainly are, but just because drones are playing a major role in one kind of war (Ukraine) doesnât mean that all future wars from this point on, will ultimately play out in the same manner. That conclusion wouldnât be any different than the military planners whom after WW1 believed that all future wars would be fought in the same manner as WW1 and continued to design weapons and plan strategies into the 20s and 30s to fight that style of warfare.
Ed
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Come on! Enemyâs got a milion dollar tank - with people in it! - and you want to take it out. What do we take for this job⌠A million dollar helicopter? A 20k$ guided missile? Or 100 drones 50$ each that we can build at home and use from safe distanceâŚ
That choice is not obvious only if you are a defence industry rep or a politician that needs that bribe to send his kids to the best college. Under pressure you go for the drones because itâs the only way to go. Wasnât doable 20 years ago, but itâs doable now.
Poor people fighting people in expensive tanks donât have the luxury of saying âwe will not use drones because thatâs not elegant enoughâ.
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Are drones effective? Just look at the Russian surviving vehicles. They all look like dandy lions in bloom or a tortoise. Remember the nebelwerfers? Remember the Katyusha rockets? They were just simple weapons and were not even guided. We still have the same concept around today in the MLRS and HIMARS. Drones are here for the duration. Do Tamahawk missles count as an advanced drone?
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The Block IV TLAM-E can loiter over a target area, allowing for real-time engagement of emerging targets. It would obviously have relatively limited loiter time compared a with a traditional drone, but yes, I suppose you could say so.
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So - business as usual on Capitol Hill? 
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Youâre absolutely right that drones have revolutionized asymmetric warfare. Low-cost drones can strike expensive tanks from a distance, and thatâs a huge advantage for under-resourced forces. Ukraine shows this clearly.
That said, tanks arenât just expensive targets to be destroyed â theyâre mobile, protected firepower that can hold and take ground, support infantry, and provide shock action that drones alone cannot. You can destroy a tank from a distance, but you canât use drones to occupy a trench line, assault a fortified position, or defend a city block. Thatâs still a tankâs job.
In practice, the real lesson from Ukraine isnât âtanks are obsolete,â itâs that tanks must operate smarter: integrated with drones, reconnaissance, infantry, and electronic warfare. Cheap drones are a force multiplier, but they donât replace the armored core â they change how itâs used.
So while drones are the go-to solution in many asymmetric situations, especially for smaller forces, tanks remain decisive in conventional, combined-arms operations. The question isnât whether to use drones, but how tanks and drones work together to achieve battlefield goals.
Ed
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So, if you are a commander and the opposition had tanks in ânormal numbersâ, how would you deal with them as a threat?
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Theres a lot of details youâve left out. Details like do we have our own tanks? Or what is the terrain? How are my troops equipped?
Ed
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I would be trying to reduce the numbers of enemy vehicles that could be brought onto the battlefield.
I would be using drones to continuously reduce the number of enemy vehicles before they were committed to battle. I would save my tanks (knowing âtheyâ probably have drones also) to deal with any surviving enemy tanks that were trying a breakthrough. I would save artillery for if and when troops dismounted from vehicles. Drones would be my preferred weapon against APCâs early in the battle when troops were mounted. More bang for the buck. The problem as I see it at the moment is that I could go through 4 or 5 hundred drones pretty quickly. logistics could be a problem.
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I would bet that in war games, with equal point forces based on monetary budget, a drone heavy force annihilates a tank heavy force, with tank defined as a full track armored vehicle with any form of gun.
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Top. Major respect, but if Iâm a commander trying to kill a tank, the question isnât âwhich weapon is cheapest.â The question is which weapon gives me the highest probability of killing it right now with the lowest risk to my people.
If I have a drone overhead and the tank is exposed, sure â Iâll try the drone first.
If the drone feed is jammed, I might call artillery.
If an ATGM team has line of sight, that might be the fastest solution.
Warfare has always worked this way. Commanders donât pick a single wonder weapon. They use whatever tool in the combined-arms toolbox gives them the best odds at that moment.
Ed
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The problem with that scenario is that war isnât fought as a simple âbudget vs budgetâ exercise. A commander doesnât buy units like a strategy game and then line them up on an open field.
A drone-heavy force has advantages, especially in reconnaissance and harassment, but it also has major vulnerabilities â particularly electronic warfare and control bandwidth. Launching large numbers of drones requires operators, communications links, and power sources, all of which produce signatures that can be detected and targeted.
Tanks also bring capabilities drones donât replace: protected mobility, sustained firepower, and the ability to hold terrain.
In practice the most effective forces combine both. Drones extend the reach of armored and artillery units, while armored units provide the protected firepower and staying power that drones alone canât deliver.
Ed
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This entire discussion is about procurement. What stuff should I buy to take that guyâs stuff? What stuff should I buy to prevent that guy from taking my stuff? Lots of other things factor into the decision making process but in the end, ya gotta buy sumin.
Come to think of it, this is the Jeune Ăcole problem all over again. In this case, the United States is in the catbird seat.
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The focus on procurement misses the bigger picture. Wars arenât won by spending the least money or buying the most units â theyâre won by achieving objectives: taking and holding ground, breaking the enemyâs will, and compelling surrender.
Drones are excellent tools for reconnaissance and striking targets at range, but they canât hold territory, secure objectives, or force an opponent to capitulate. Thatâs why a force that relies solely on drones, no matter how numerous or cheap, cannot truly win a war.
The real measure of effectiveness isnât cost per unit â itâs the ability to accomplish strategic goals on the battlefield.
Ed
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Yeah. And you accomplish those goals with your stuff. Stuff you need to buy.
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You can buy all the stuff you want, but if it canât take and hold ground, it canât win a war.
Ed
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This is incorrect. If you are on the defense, all you need to do is blow up the other guyâs stuff until he gives up.
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I have to wonder if weâre simply not hearing about drones being equipped with laser designators and used to spot for artillery firing guided shells, or if keeping a drone in position long enough to designate a target makes it too easy to be taken out. It seems like a logical progression; an artillery round can carry a much larger warhead than a drone.
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My point about the drones was because they are more accurate, I would be using them as much as possible to destroy enemy tanks and APCâs before they got committed to battle. Everyone destroyed before combat is one that canât support their operation and one less that my troops have to deal with. Wire guided drones have become a thing so ECM is less effective. I think the turtle tank design reduces the effectiveness of the tank making it harder to identify and engage targets. Fighting on a drone field means they canât just stop and search for targets without raising their chances of being attacked. That means they are having to keep moving while searching with all that view blocking armor around them. In the course of normal warfare, this puts them at a significant disadvantage.
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