Ukrainas dronekrig kan bli mer effektiv - Stars & Stripes

 

Ukraina har etter min mening utviklet denne nye formen for krigføring; stor bruk av "Loitering Munition" og egenproduserte droner i mange varianter. Dette er effektivt og velig skremmende, noe du har sett mange eksempler på her på bloggen i videosnutter. (Red.)

Ukraine’s war strategy needs drone-heavy overhaul, top general says

By 

JOHN VANDIVER

STARS AND STRIPES • February 2, 2024

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In a screenshot from a video posted on social media, a Russian armored vehicle burns after being hit by a Ukrainian drone. Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine's top military commander, said the country's survival could hinge on a strategy shift that better exploits unmanned systems. (Ukrainian defense ministry )

 Ukraine’s survival could hinge on a strategy shift that better exploits drones and other unmanned systems, given Russia’s manpower advantages and reduced Western support for Kyiv’s war effort, the country’s top military commander said this week.   

Gen. Valery Zaluzhny laid out a new war strategy in a seven-page essay that focused heavily on ramping up the production of cheap drones.

The strategy, first published Thursday by CNN, also comes amid reports that the war commander may soon be fired by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.  

“The challenge for our armed forces cannot be underestimated. It is to create a completely new state system of technological rearmament,” Zaluzhny wrote. “Taking everything into account at this moment, we think the creation of such a system could be achieved in five months.” 

It is not clear whether disagreements over future strategy are at the heart of the dispute between the two leaders. But the failure of Ukraine to regain substantial territory during its summer counteroffensive has exposed weaknesses. 

In a war of attrition, Russia has the advantages, given its ability to mobilize more fighters than Ukraine, which is facing its own manpower shortage because of domestic resistance to unpopular draft measures, Zaluzhny said. 

“We must acknowledge the significant advantage enjoyed by the enemy in mobilizing human resources,” Zaluzhny wrote.

To change the dynamics, Ukraine needs to overhaul how it is fighting the war, with more focus on unmanned technology that can inflict damage on Russia from a distance, he said. 

“It is well-known by now that a central driver of this war is the development of unmanned weapons systems,” Zaluzhny wrote. “They are proliferating at a breathtaking pace, and the scope of their applications grows ever wider.” 

Another factor is a reduction in military support from key allies, he said. In the U.S., lawmakers are at odds over the merits of continuing to arm Ukraine in light of domestic concerns, such as immigration and security on the southern border.  

Moreover, some allies are running out of munitions.  

“Our partners’ stocks of missiles, air defense interceptors and ammunition for artillery is becoming exhausted due to the intensity of hostilities in Ukraine, but also from a global shortage of propellant charges,” Zaluzhny said.  

In 2024, the top priority for Ukraine’s armed forces should be “mastery of an entire arsenal of (relatively) cheap, modern and highly effective, unmanned vehicles and other technological means,” he wrote. 

Ukraine has used such systems to great effect on the battlefield, enabling commanders to collect real-time intelligence and deliver precision strikes.

Many of those attacks have been played over and over on social media, showcasing Ukrainian drones wiping out Russian positions. 

But Zaluzhny said those efforts need to expand significantly, meaning “nothing less than the wholesale redesign of battlefield operations and the abandoning of outdated, stereotypical thinking.” 

Enhancing the ability to strike with drones also means fewer troops in harm’s way and less reliance on heavy combat systems, though those will still be needed, he said. 

“We already possess capabilities to eliminate the enemy and ensure the existence of statehood,” he wrote. “Our goal must be to seize the moment.”