During the annexation of Crimea, the criminal army of the Russian Federation skillfully used unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare equipment to strike Ukrainian military positions, taking a leading position in the development and use of these equipment.
Points of attention
- Ukraine has taken the lead over Russia in the production and use of drones and electronic warfare systems, following the full-scale invasion of its territory by the Russian Federation.
- The Ukrainian defense industry has outpaced Russia by reorienting companies towards manufacturing military technologies, aided by support from Western allies for deploying advanced systems.
- Through rapid innovation and deployment of advanced systems, Ukraine has gained an advantage over Russia in the field of UAVs and EW, enabling it to control territories in conflict zones.
- Researchers note that Ukraine's systematic use of drones and electronic warfare has allowed it to hold off Russian forces and maintain superiority in technical areas.
- Ukraine's success in counteroffensives against Russian forces in conflict zones confirms its superiority in the development and utilization of drones and electronic warfare systems.
How Ukraine succeeded in taking over the leadership of the Russian Federation in the use of UAVs and EW means
After the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the occupying army of the Russian Federation lost its advantage in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and EW.
Ukraine has become the world leader in the field of production and use of UAVs and EW.
Currently, Ukrainian and Russian manufacturers of drones and EW are fighting for innovation, development and implementation of better technologies that will give the military advantages on the battlefield.
Ukraine was able to outpace Russia in development processes, which allowed it to deploy more advanced systems faster, achieving superiority in these technical areas.
It is noted that the success of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the counteroffensive in Kurshchyna confirms the superiority in the development and use of drones and EW systems.
Journalists refer to information according to which the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to one or another district in Kurshchyna takes place with the use of EW systems to disable the drones of the occupation army of the Russian Federation.
After that, the Ukrainian military deploys swarms of its own drones to search for targets and strike the positions of the Russian occupiers.
After these strikes, ground units move forward. Such actions are systematically repeated, which enables the Ukrainian military to take control and hold territories in Kurshchyna.
Meanwhile, the capabilities of the Russian occupiers in the use of UAVs and EW have significantly decreased.
While Russian drones and electronic warfare systems are still powerful and effective, they have less impact on the battlefield as Ukraine adopts new technologies and tactics.
What is the advantage of Ukraine over the Russian Federation in the production and use of UAVs and EW
Researchers from RAND note that long periods of time for the development of systems interfere with the ability of the Ministry of Defense of the aggressor country to implement the achievements of commercial technologies.
Ukraine, on the contrary, is building up its defense-industrial base, ensuring strong ties between the commercial and defense sectors.
A large number of companies that before the war were engaged in commercial technologies, reoriented themselves to the development of military equipment.
About 200 companies producing military drones and 50 companies specializing in electronic warfare systems are currently registered in Ukraine.
Russia had problems with large-scale production from the very beginning.
A significant part of Russian production capacity is focused on selling old systems abroad, and not on the production of state-of-the-art equipment for its armed forces.
Before the war, only a limited number of units were equipped with modernized systems, while the majority still relied on outdated Soviet-era equipment.
Ukraine also benefits from a constant flow of new systems and technologies provided by its Western allies, which strengthens its development and production capabilities.
In contrast, Russia's capabilities were limited by trade embargoes imposed by Western countries after the invasion of Ukraine.
While Russia continues to receive critical supplies from China, Iran and other partners, it still faces significant shortfalls in many key areas.
For the past 30 months, Ukrainian and Russian developers, together with their international partners, have been competing for the lead in the technologies of unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare, which have proved decisive in this conflict.
Although Russia initially had an advantage in these industries, it has since lost its dominance.
Instead, Ukraine's ability to rapidly innovate, produce and deploy a large number of new technologies has given it an advantage, allowing it to outpace Russia in these critical areas.
