Can Ukraine keep off-the-shelf drones in the fight against Russia?

Drones have played a significant part in the air war in Ukraine, but some believe it could be over for them after reports from the frontline suggest Russian countermeasures are now making small drones less effective.

This means Ukraine's drones, which had often operated in contested airspaces too risky for traditional aircraft, are now under threat as Russian troops have grown wise and are increasingly able to take down the smaller models.

But air power expert Dr Matthew Powell believes that what is happening is "not the end" of the off-the-shelf drone but "its viability is becoming much more limited".

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Speaking to Forces News, Dr Powell said: "The reports that are coming out from Ukrainian forces is that, whilst they still are able to use them, the range at which they are able to use them is much less.

"So their capability is reduced in that manner, this is largely due to the electronic signals that's given out and so it's able to be jammed when it gets over a certain distance."

Before the war in Ukraine, it was the likes of the multi-million pound Reaper that was thought of as a conflict drone.

That all changed when Ukrainian forces started creatively using small off-the-shelf quadcopters on the battlefield.

At the start of the war, they could be operated from 3-4km behind enemy lines.

But Russia has innovated and operators now have to be just 500m from the frontline.

Adaptation

Dr Powell believes that the war in Ukraine could see the usage of "larger scale more military-type drones".

These are being deployed more and more because they are able to "operate in a different way", he says.

They do not give off electronic signals which, Dr Powell says, makes them far "more viable in the field".

The expert, however, does not believe this to be an end to the off-the-shelf drones, adding: "It may be adaptation, it may be new equipment, it may be ways of trying to reduce the electronic emissions that are coming from the DJI (off-the-shelf) drones." 

Drone use has evolved since the start of the war just over a year ago and continues to do so, and these innovations will ensure drones of all sizes will have a place on the battlefields of the future.