Drones have become ubiquitous on battlefields over the last few years, but they aren't simply for surveillance and reconnaissance anymore. Technology has allowed drones to be enhanced with a variety of tools that lets them to carry out tasks, attack the enemy and make a difference in war maneuvers. And new technologies are continuing to emerge.
Claws
Claws are reportedly being attached to drones to pick up and drop objects on the battlefield. In 2023, there were unconfirmed reports that Ukraine has been "abducting wounded Russian troops from the battlefield using giant drones equipped with pincers," said The Daily Beast, and capturing soldiers who are "not able to run away, hide or fight."
Ukrainians can also "rig the drones with a claw to carry a small explosive, like a grenade," said NPR. These claws can then drop the explosives with "great precision into a Russian trench, or even into the open top hatch of a tank." Beyond claws, magnets are reportedly being used for similar purposes.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
Motherships
Several countries, including Ukraine, Iran and China, reportedly use drone motherships to dispatch their flying machines. There are various forms, but they are often large drones that "can carry and eventually deploy a set of smaller attack drones," said Ars Technica.
A mothership can also refer to an offshore ship used to launch drones and weapons. However, few confirmed examples of this exist; in December 2024, Pentagon officials "flatly dismissed claims by a U.S. lawmaker that Iran might be launching drones over New Jersey from a 'mothership' off the East Coast," said Reuters.
Shotguns
Ukraine has reportedly been experimenting with strapping various weapons onto drones, including grenades and RPGs. But a recent report noticed something a bit more unusual: at least "one viral video shows not one but two shotguns mounted to a drone, which zips around blasting three Russian drones before targeting an infantry member on the ground," said Ars Technica.
This "demonstrates a unique application" of a drone "equipped with stabilizing and rotary mechanisms for small arms," a Ukrainian soldier said to the Kyiv Post. But these are "likely bulky and noisy, making them vulnerable to infantry fire or detection by enemy electronic warfare systems."
Surveillance
While surveillance has always been an aspect of drone warfare, recent innovations have brought things to an even more advanced level. Drones "equipped with advanced sensors and AI capabilities are redefining battlefield intelligence," said the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA).
These sensors allow the drones to perform much more sophisticated surveillance than previously possible. But the drones can do more than that, too, like "identify potential threats using real-time data analysis," said the SOAA. They can then "share intelligence across units, enhancing situational awareness." However, like all technologies, the drones' "reliance on software makes them vulnerable to hacking and electronic warfare."
Artificial intelligence
As AI becomes more sophisticated, countries are using it to drive their drones in favor of human pilots. Russian officials "already acknowledge that 'autonomous flying robots' — drones with artificial intelligence that determine their own targets — are used in combat and apparently 'kill' people," said West Point's Modern War Institute (MWI).
And drone manufacturers around the world are cashing in, as "U.S. defense tech company Anduril recently started selling its new autonomous drones after successful tests carried out in Ukraine," said the MWI.
