Unmanned Ariel Vehicles or UAVs play a vital role in surveillance and are used by various militaries worldwide.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses media after bilateral talks with Swiss President in Kehrsatz near Bern, Switzerland, on January 15, 2024. Zelensky will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos starting on January 16, 2024.
Even in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, UAVs are being utilized. Hundreds can survey various Russian positions in both Eastern and Southern Ukraine. However, according to a report from Reuters, there has been a reliability issue. An anecdote from Reuters describes a soldier's frustration as they try to survey an area but unfortunately, there is no video footage.
The Issues
This has been a common issue for the Ukrainians because while they can assemble a myriad of UAVs, many have been described as poorly and cheaply assembled. It also does not help that the drones are being assembled by volunteers. One soldier stated they'd prefer 10 well-made ones as opposed to 50 unreliable ones. In a statement from a soldier whose call sign is "Sam", they stated "Most common problems are problems with the video link and with the control link." Sam went on to disclose that "...most of them are because of low-quality parts that are used very often to make the drones even cheaper."
Another soldier whose call sign is "Fest" told Reuters, "We must test drones supplied by new producers or made by a civilian." Sam also said, "in addition to losing the drone itself, we can lose ammunition which is not cheap." Others have called for more uniformity so that drone operators can better understand ahead of time how the technology they're using works. Yet another individual, going by call sign "Pit" revealed that "You work a lot and have to do flight after flight while drones differ a lot. One has different controllers, another different settings, and so on. When under pressure, it happens that you miss a detail and it leads to missing a target."
As this conflict continues it's clear that good and reliable technology is a necessity in gaining an advantage over one's opposition. In addition, it's clear that this conflict is a blend of old-school and modern tactics, or as Sam would say "This war has like a high-tech side of it and still the old-school trench warfare side of it." "Sam also said, "Modern warfare today combines modern tactics with old-school tactics working together." In other news, Poland's Prime Minister has visited Ukraine to re-emphasize the country's vow to continue their ongoing support.
