Small drones, such as FPV drones, may soon lose their combat advantage, - French general

At the Eurosatory defence exhibition in Paris, French Army Chief of Staff General Pierre Schill said that small drones used by Ukraine would soon lose their value.

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"The advantage currently enjoyed by small unmanned aerial vehicles on battlefields, including in Ukraine, is only a 'moment in history'," he said.

While anti-drone systems are lagging behind and "leaving the skies open", various countermeasures are being developed. Already, 75 per cent of drones on the battlefield in Ukraine have been lost to electronic warfare, the general said.

"The life of small, very simple drones over the battlefield is a moment in time," said Schill.

FPV drones are now destroying about 80 per cent of the equipment on the front line in Ukraine, whereas eight months ago these systems were not available. The general said that this situation will not be the case in 10 years, and the big question is whether small attack drones will be able to survive for another year or two. Schill cited the example of the Bayraktar drone, the "king of war" at the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, but which is no longer used because it is too easy to destroy.

Source: Defence News