The military commander in charge of Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces, Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, has warned that NATO armed forces are not ready for a modern drone war—three years into a conflict with Russia in which both sides are pushing for a technological edge.
Colonel Sukharevskyi, who gave the warning on Wednesday, said Kyiv was striving to stay ahead of the enemy by employing artificial intelligence, deploying more ground drones, and testing lasers to bring down Russian unmanned aerial vehicles.
While speaking in a newly outfitted office for the recently founded Unmanned Systems Forces, Sukharevskyi outlined the significant advancements in drone warfare since the start of the invasion in 2022 and how it has upended established doctrines of war.
“From what I see and hear, not a single NATO army is ready to resist the cascade of drones,” Sukharevskyi said.
According to him, NATO should recognize the economic advantage of drones, which often cost far less to build than the conventional weaponry required to counter them.
Sukharevskyi’s comments come as some NATO members in Europe ramp up defense spending to prepare for war should the Ukraine conflict drag on or escalate.
It was gathered that since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, there has been a vast expansion in drone use.
Ukraine has stated that it produced 2.2 million small First Person View (FPV) drones and 100,000 larger, long-range ones in 2024.