Counter-Drone Lessons From Ukraine War

By Brig (Retd) Ian Cameron-Mowat

Former Head of Force Protection UK Defence Equipment and Support

Before 2022, a piece on Counter-UAS Lessons would have highlighted the use of drones – both military and improvised – by the likes of Islamic State, Azerbaijan, Turkey in northern Syria, and of course by Russia in various theatres. Now the focus is much sharper. The drone war centred around Ukraine is at a level of intensity – indeed, ferocity – simply never seen before. That is why it is right at this time to ponder on C-UAS lessons from this major war in Europe. What’s happening there now affects us all. An important disclaimer! I’ve taken the material for this piece from open sources, including Russian and Ukrainian ones. I’ve pointed out systems produced by a number of different companies, and I have no commercial or professional links to any of them. Especially Kalashnikov. 

Threat 

First off, we need to define the drone threat. I won’t deal here with the likes of the Kinzhal (or Dagger) hypersonic ballistic missiles used by Moscow with varying degrees of success; it’s not a drone, and neither are the long-range high-speed cruise missiles launched primarily by air and naval platforms. That’s a problem for conventional air defence and that’s not what we’re addressing here. Drones are primarily used for surveillance, intelligence gathering, propaganda, and strikes. Additionally, drones are used to help direct and conduct strikes. At the beginning of the war, Ukrainian forces used armed military drones such as the Bayraktar TB2 to target the Russian column headed for Kyiv. A TB2 drone may also have been used to distract the defences of the Russian flagship Moskva while naval missiles attacked and ultimately sank it. Intelligence gathered by drones is also used to direct artillery. The most remarkable aspect of drone use in this war is the large number of civilian drones. Quadcopters and other rotor drones are mainly produced by commercial firms such as the Chinese DJI and are among the most common.