NATO Allies Warn Drone Advances to Force Strategic Rethink
- Rise of drones highlights their need for better air defenses
- Some NATO members are concerned US may scale back support
Ukrainian soldiers of the Vykhor Dnipro unmanned combat aerial complex platoon launch of a Vampire drone in the Zaporizhzhia region, southeastern Ukraine, on Feb. 2.
Photographer: Dmytro Smolienko/Future/Getty Images PublishingThis article is for subscribers only.
Advances in drone warfare have helped Ukraine partly neutralize Russia’s military advantage two years into the Kremlin-ordered invasion.
The relatively inexpensive drones have allowed Kyiv’s forces to strike back, sometimes hitting targets inside Russia hundreds of miles from the border. Yet North Atlantic Treaty Organization officials at the annual Munich Security Conference this weekend said the advances also come with risks.