1936 all over again, with drones

[DISRAELI]

Anyone well-read in history will recognise the significance of the year 1936. Besides being the year when Hitler sent troops into the Rhineland (which was supposed to be free of them), it also saw the opening of the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Civil war turned into a proxy battle between Fascism and Communism, in which Hitler and Stalin could try out their battle methods. It wasn't World War Two, but an important step in that direction.

Now we have two proxy wars going on, in the Ukraine and in Iran-Israel. (Future historians may see both Russia and Iran as proxies of China). Hitler had been able to practice the new techniques of air-warfare. Now everybody is learning about the effectiveness of drones. Both sides of the question, in fact. The Ukraine has taught us how damaging they can be. Israel has just taught us how they may be stopped.

Students of war will also recognise the name Dreadnaught. The original Dreadnaught was a state-of-the-art British battleship built at the end of the nineteenth century, which almost instantly made all the other battleships of the world obsolete. Including the rest of the British navy, which meant that a new and more expensive arms-race was starting from scratch. It seems to me that the deployment of drones has set off a new Dreadnaught era.

[putnam6]

NGL lie it was surreal following along Saturday night, we are incredibly lucky we are aren't at war, and it still may happen. Crazy times

As for drones, Im not so sure. In the right smaller situations, they are deadly. But, when you send 100 plus in swarm to a country like Israel, the US and the UK Jordan too have already got effective countermeasures from their fighter squadrons.

Which is why I think the wingman drone system will be effective as hell, but still you will have to have hundreds if not thousands. The way the GPS was jammed in certain areas played a part in their failure, but they still have value because they are cheap, once they develop cheaper countermeasures, like the Iron Beam where one shot is just a few bucks

[xpert11]

Anyone well-read in history will recognise the significance of the year 1936.

The 1930s political climate in remade form has played out for a decade or longer.

Now we have two proxy wars going on, in the Ukraine and in Iran-Israel. (Future historians may see both Russia and Iran as proxies of China). Hitler had been able to practice the new techniques of air-warfare. Now everybody is learning about the effectiveness of drones.

Indeed, drones are an extension of air power. Also, drones are the latest technogical breakthrough contributioning to static land warfare in Ukraine.

 It seems to me that the deployment of drones has set off a new Dreadnaught era.

Countering drones is one of the keys to the war in Ukraine shifting from static frontlines to mobility.

[DISRAELI]

 

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Reply to Xpert11;

Yes, the shifting balance between attack and defence is one of the features of warfare. Like "Movement versus trenches" in modern wars, or cavalry v infantry in the previous eras.

P.S. Some oddity in the software won't let me type a direct reply to yours, apparently because your comment wasn't typed in the space meant for it.

[Notably0ffbeat]

Weapons have always fascinated me. The past, current and future. I find that drones are interesting in the fact that one pilot can control hundreds of drones. One gets shut down and he can instantly switch to another. The down side is the communication systems.

Now what worries me currently is if we keep on funding this proxy war on Russia it may turn nuclear. I imagine that air burst nuclear weapon would do numbers of DMG to communication networks. I'm not convinced that drones and the like could weather such an attack.