As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine grinds into its fourth year, the conflict has exposed vulnerabilities, accelerated innovation and highlighted the critical role of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). As of this third anniversary, Russia still occupies roughly 20% of the country, despite fierce resistance. The war has also inflicted over 40,000 civilian casualties, displaced millions and left nearly 15 million in need of humanitarian assistance.
This “first full scale drone war,” as some have referred to it, has become a brutal crucible for military technologies. As traditional battlefields blur with the digital domain, the war in Ukraine has not just showcased these new technologies—it has fundamentally redefined the nature of modern combat. Ukraine is not just a testing ground but a catalyst for redefining military airspace strategy, highlighting the critical need for counter-drone capabilities and unearthing the ethical considerations of increasingly personalized warfare.
The latest episode of the Full Crew podcast, focused on Mil Tech, brought together three experts at the forefront of military tech innovation: Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne; Tom Furey, CEO of Sagetech Avionics and a former U.S. Navy aviator; and Bryan Sardoch of OrcaFPV, who brings extensive on-the-ground experience from Ukraine. Their discussion painted a vivid picture of a conflict where combatants have turned first-person view (FPV) drones into lethal weapons, video game skills translate directly to battlefield prowess and where the psychological toll of combat may be taking on new and unsettling dimensions.
The Democratization of Airpower
Gone are the days when air superiority relied upon squadrons of nation-state funded multimillion-dollar jets and large UAS. Today, a $200 drone can potentially take out one of those expensive jets just sitting on a runway. This democratization of airpower has profound implications for military strategy and global security.
The rapid transition from expensive, high-value assets like the Bayraktar TB2 to readily available, 3D-printed FPV drones hasn’t just made advanced military technology more accessible—it’s accelerated the pace of innovation to breakneck speeds.
“As we observe this war, the amount of churn in technology that we’ve seen is phenomenal,” Furey observed.
Sardoch, fresh from the frontlines, underscored the asymmetric advantages these low-cost systems provide. “You’re talking about maybe a $150-$200 drone able to disrupt a whole nation’s power grids,” he notes. The ease of acquiring and repurposing these technologies has turned hardware stores and online marketplaces into unlikely armories.
This accessibility is a double-edged sword. While it allows smaller nations and non-state actors to level the playing field, it also presents new challenges for defense. As Eben Frankenberg put it, “We’re seeing Spy vs. Spy dynamics… playing out in real-time on the Ukrainian battlefield.” Each innovation sparks a counter-innovation, which creates a dizzying cycle of technological one-upmanship.
The Arms Race of the Digital Age
As quickly as new drone technologies emerge, countermeasures follow. The latest innovation—using radar to detect fiber optically controlled FPV drones—exemplifies this ongoing cat-and-mouse game. (Note – See our previous AG coverage of the January Full Crew on Robotics that discussed fiber optic FPV drones)
Frankenberg explained the significance: “Radar is bouncing its signals off of the physical object, and so if that physical object is there, you’re going to see it.” This development allows Ukrainian forces to target previously undetectable drones, but it’s just the latest move in an ever-evolving chess match.
Furey emphasized the cyclical nature of these advancements. “It’s not that we’re moving towards a technology that’s the best technology,” he said. “It’s that as more layers of technology are brought in, different layers of technology are used to defend against it.” This constant evolution underscores the need for agility in both technological development, military doctrine and acquisition processes which often lag behind warfighter need.
The pace of this evolution is staggering. Solutions that seemed cutting-edge months ago can quickly become obsolete. As Sardoch observed, “The individual solution today is much less interesting to me as to where they (a tech company) are going.”
The rapid pace of innovation underscores a critical point: a lack of real-world presence on the ground in Ukraine equates to a lack of relevant information as the technological landscape can shift overnight. Without direct, constant engagement, the U.S. and its allies risk building solutions to problems that no longer exist or have evolved beyond recognition. The lessons learned seem ever-changing. Our military and defense industry must be willing to immerse themselves in the active conflict zone to maintain technological relevance and stay one step ahead of the adversary.
The Human Cost of Innovation
Amidst discussions of FPV drones, radar systems and counter-drone technologies, it’s easy to lose sight of the human element. Yet, as these experts emphasized, the psychological impact of this new form of warfare cannot be overlooked.
“FPV is not safe for the warfighter,” Sardoch warned. “You’re also very, very personal with the folks who are being, for lack of a better word, hunted.” He painted a sobering picture of young operators, often barely out of their teens, piloting drones with VR goggles close to the front lines. Their video game skills, honed in living rooms and internet cafes, are now being applied to life-and-death situations.
The direct, often intimate, nature of FPV drone warfare can create a very different type of engagement compared to traditional forms of combat, where soldiers are more removed from the immediate consequences of their actions.
Furey noted, “Now you’re…looking him in the eyes through FPV, so there’s certainly going to be an effect on our warfighters.” This personalization of combat raises profound questions. The intimate nature of this new warfare—where operators can see the faces of their targets—is likely to have lasting psychological consequences that we’re only beginning to understand.
Sardoch cautioned against becoming too enamored with the technology without recognizing its human cost. “War time innovation comes at the cost of human beings,” he reminded us. It’s a sobering thought that tempers the excitement of technological advancement with the weight of its real-world implications.
Preparing for the Future of Warfare
The lessons from Ukraine are clear: the future of warfare is here – and it’s uncrewed, accessible and evolving at an unprecedented pace. This new reality demands not just technological innovation, but a fundamental rethinking of military strategy and doctrine.
The establishment of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Joint Counter-UAS Office and the development of counter-UAS doctrine across various military branches signal a growing recognition of these changes. But keeping pace with the rapid evolution of drone warfare will require more than just pen on paper. The DOD must foster a robust defense industrial base and support small companies that are willing to innovate and iterate quickly.
Frankenberg stressed the need for industry to also stay ahead of the curve. “The common and most easy approach is not going to be the approach that solves the problem in the end,” he warned. With peer adversaries (note: no longer “near peer”) able to adapt quickly, the pressure to iterate tech has never been higher.
As the conflict in Ukraine continues to reshape our thinking about modern warfare, one thing seems certain: the drone revolution has just begun. From the battlefields of Eastern Europe to defense labs around the world, the race is on to master this new dimension of combat.
As the lines between civilian technology and military hardware blur, the psychological toll of combat also takes on new dimensions. As we marvel at the technological leaps being made, we must never lose sight of the lives at stake—both those behind the controls, those in the crosshairs and the innocent civilians on both sides that have been caught in the middle.
The nations and militaries that can innovate, adapt and navigate the technological, operational and ethical minefields associated with this new era will be the ones that prevail in the conflicts of tomorrow. The future of warfare is here. It’s up to us to shape it…responsibly.
To learn more, read the articles selected by our Crew and discussed in this episode:
“Ukraine Conflict is Redefining Military Airspace Strategy,” by Mary L. Smulders of Dedrone in The Drone Girl.
“Ukraine Discloses New Method To Defeat Russian Fiber-Optic-Controlled FPV Drones,” by Howard Altman in The War Zone.“‘He’s mine’ – How Ukraine’s ace drone unit hunts Russian soldiers near Kupiansk.” by Francis Farrell in the Kiev Independent
By: Dawn Zoldi (Colonel, USAF Ret.)