Written by Isaac Lee
Edited by Victoria Oh
Drones suddenly became prominent within the 21st century. They are used for a myriad of sources from planting seeds to scouting countries for intelligence. As of now, the military has adapted these drones for scouting and precision bombings. Recently, Ukraine and Russia have been constantly using these drones in war. As we explore the blog, we will become familiar with military drones and how the costs compare.
What exactly are Military Drones?
Drones have a more specific name: UAV. This stands for Unmanned aerial vehicles. Loosely, UAV means that the flying machine has no human on board. The drones can either be guided remotely or autonomously. Remote drones are typically used due to their consistency. Normal store-bought drones are remote controlled drones. On the other hand, autonomous control is slowly evolving and will become the future. The drone will fly and gather information itself.
Military drones look almost like planes. They come in a variety of sizes which will be explained later in the blog. For instance, there are nano sized drones that can fit into the tiniest of holes. On the other hand, there are huge drones that are comparable to cargo ships in the air.
Picture of U.S.A Air Force Drone
How are drones utilized in the Ukraine and Russia War?
Within the last few months, Russia has been purchasing cheap military drones from Iran. According to insider.com, they are only about 20,000 to make. This may sound very expensive, but they are quite difficult to take down. These unique types of drones are kamikaze-style which don’t fly back. Instead, they continue flying until losing power. Specifically, they are called the Shahed-136 and are launched from a truck.
Ukraine has successfully defended these devastating drones, but insider.com states that they cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to take out a single Shahed-136. Eventually, Ukraine’s pockets will run dry. The severe amount of money lost will damage them.
Shahed-136 Drone
What are the types of Military Drones?
As stated above, there are small stealth drones that can spy on the enemy. These can be used to track great amounts of information with a quick scan. These are usually about 50,000 - 100,000 in cost (according to propelrc.com). On the other hand, large combat drones or big scout drones are anywhere from a few million to hundreds of millions (according to propelrc.com).
Nano Military Drone
How are Military drones different from Normal drones?
Military drones are typically larger, more expensive. For instance, the Shahed-136 is 20,000 dollars. A normal cinematography drone would not even come close to that cost. The military drones have a larger range of cost. From a few thousand to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Military drones also have a main purpose. For instance, the scouting drones have high-tech cameras and quiet motors. The kamikaze style can only do precision bombing, having specific tasks to complete, while leisurely drones have one camera that can do multiple tasks, such as recording or taking pictures casually.
How Does the Future of Military Drones Look?
The future of military drones seems promising, as their use surged recently in the Russian-Ukraine war, specifically when about 300 drones were used by Russia in order to destroy Ukranian bases and infrastructure. This technology is the tool that greatly benefits the deployer, providing soldiers with safety, informational data, and precision in delivering valuable materials. As the military market continues to increase rapidly, there are no doubts that military drones will be heavily used in future warfare for a far more effective and efficient targetting and battling.
So informative!