There is no debate that weaponized drones have forever changed the tactical-level conduct of war. Even nations without access to larger drones are showing just how dangerous cheap commercial quadcopters are on the battlefield. Just look at this video of a weaponized civilian drone HAMAS used to take out an Israeli remote control machine gun during their October attack. Or their use against communications towers. Here is another video of a commercial drone being prepped for use in the ongoing Sudan civil war. You now have the power of surveillance and close air support organic at the squad level for a few thousand dollars instead of a few million. But nowhere is the combat use of drones (small and large) more prevalent than in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. Small quadcopters and fixed wing drones with increasingly heavy payloads are able to hit soft targets.

Written by Chris Cappy & Patrick Griffin Edited by: Michael Michaelides