Ukraine shows how drones are changing warfare

WAR SPURS INNOVATION. OBSERVING LIFE AND DEATH on Ukraine's battlefield, it's evident to us that modern warfare now transforms at startup speeds.

- ERIC SCHMIDT AND WILL ROPER

This battlefield interwoven with World War I-style trenches and a burgeoning fleet of adapted commercial drones-is tied together by everyday internet technology. The same software used by players to synchronize video-game tactics now does so in a scenario with no pause nor reset button. This meshing of century-old tactics with state-of-the-art hobbyist tech, overlaid with the brutality of war, paints a harrowing portrait.

We saw it in the eyes and streaming video feeds of the brave Ukrainian units hosting us on a front line amid their former homes and businesses now serving as operations centers. Ground troops, with drones circling overhead, know they're constantly under the watchful eyes of pilots a few kilometers away. Those pilots know they are potentially in crosshairs watching back. This feeling of exposure and lethal voyeurism is everywhere in Ukraine.