How India must prepare for a future of drone warfare

On 1 June 2025, a number of transport trucks parked within range of selected Russian airbases silently sprang into action. Roofs slid back to reveal hidden launchers and wave upon wave of small first-person-view (FPV) drones lifted off. By evening, TV channels had footage of burnt aircraft and damaged facilities across Russia. It was Ukraine’s most audacious strike of the war.

- RAHUL MATTHAN

It was called Operation Spiderweb—a highly coordinated operation conducted through unconventional means deep inside Russian territory. By infiltrating Russia’s road transport network, Ukraine was able to place short-range drones within striking distance of multiple targets, enabling near-simultaneous attacks on strategic Russian assets even 4,300km away from the border. At sea, Ukraine’s Magura V5 crew-less surface vessels have repeatedly hit Russian naval assets, pushing the Black Sea Fleet farther from shore, while on land, its infantry battalions are now always accompanied by drones that serve as aerial eyes—and often the sharp end of an attack spear.

These techniques, alongside missiles, artillery and electronic warfare, are now central to contemporary campaigns. As a result, the economics of warfare has begun to go against legacy platforms. An FPV drone costs a few thousand dollars, while a bomber costs millions. As a result, those who can build fast, accept losses and adjust tactics between sorties have an advantage over those who cannot. It is not that drones are unstoppable. But when cheap, easily repairable systems are deployed en masse, they can disrupt defensive strategies in ways that traditional armed forces often have no effective way to adapt to.