Drone warfare 2.0: Unmanned vehicles outfitted with long-range missiles deliver deep strikes
Recent global military developments highlight the rapid integration of autonomous systems, including long-range missile-capable drones and unmanned surface/ground vehicles. Countries like Turkey, Russia, India, and the U.S. are increasingly deploying these technologies to conduct deep strikes and complex combat operations.
Why it matters
The proliferation of autonomous weapons systems is fundamentally altering military strategy and the nature of modern warfare.
As automation and autonomy advance, the implements of war are reshaping modern warfare. This week alone saw four developments with the potential to change how autonomous systems are viewed.Turkey’s Baykar Kızılelma—an unmanned, stealth-shaped aircraft—fired a ballistic missile and struck a target at 120 km. Its small size and stealthy shaping make it difficult to detect on radar.Russia has integrated the S-8000 Banderol air-launched cruise missile onto its Orion drone, a platform comparable to the American MQ-1 Reaper. That gives a relatively small drone the ability to strike targets at ranges exceeding 500 km. Deploying long-range stand-off weapons from small drones expands the number of platforms that can hit deep targets.India is advancing too with the Ghatak stealth drone programme.Designed as an unmanned combat aerial vehicle with a flying-wing layout, Ghatak is expected to use a dry variant of the indigenously developed Kaveri engine.
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