What lessons could Europe learn from air power use in Ukraine?
The use of small drones has opened up new possibilities for cost-effective strike but such systems have range and payload limitations. (Photo: Ukraine MoD)
The use of air power by both sides in the ongoing conflict has been extensively focused on, influencing policy and procurement around the world. But are the lessons from the front line universally applicable, or should other nations be planning for very different scenarios?
It’s fair to say that June’s remote first-person view (FPV) drone strike on four Russian airfields was totally unexpected. The targeting of bombers that had been a key part of standoff actions against Ukrainian cities was surprising in just about every regard.
The long-term planning to load heavy trucks with uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) and position these thousands of kilometres inside Russia, astonished everyone. The intelligence work to ensure the targets were there would have been a major achievement. Moreover, the mission required multi-mode control systems, involving relatively un-jammable fibre-optic cable, radio and some autonomy so that the probability of
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