War in Ukraine. How drones are changing the rules of war: once safe trenches have become death traps

Small drones are changing the rules of infantry warfare, turning seemingly safe frontline areas into death traps, Forbes writes.

Trenches have been an integral part of holding defensive positions for over a century. With the advent of firearms in the 19th century, infantry moved from formation to deployment and cover. Before World War I, the only way to survive intense artillery and machine gun fire was to dig trenches.

“The defense has not changed much since then. in 1916 Soldier of the Western Front 2024 One would feel at home in the trenches of Ukraine, surprised only by solar panels and smartphones. However, as President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed out, this is not just World War I trench warfare, but “World War I with drones – and drones changed everything,” the publication said.

You can dig your own grave

Once in position, the infantryman first uses his tool to dig a hole deep enough to hide and protect himself from direct fire and shrapnel. It can be expanded into a pit, a deep enough one-man fighting position to stand on.

With more time and engineering, the defensive position can be extended to a trench system. It is deep enough to walk in without endangering yourself. A firing step on one side allows soldiers to look over the edge and scan enemy lines. The network will connect combat positions – places where heavy weapons such as machine guns can be placed, communication lines, storage areas and rest areas. The trench can be camouflaged and some areas have overlays.

Trench systems usually include underground bunkers or dugouts with reinforced roofs that are strong enough to withstand artillery fire. But drones have made many of these defenses obsolete, and in some cases dangerous.

Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram/Ukrainian forces drone

“Drones, household quadcopters equipped with a mechanism for dropping one or more grenades, can drop bombs with high precision from high altitudes. Any soldier in a trench can dig his own grave. Drones can dive vertically into defensive positions, and anti-drone nets now seem ubiquitous in the trenches on both sides.

There are also a number of ground covers to protect against drones. However, the situation has changed most in the previously safe bunkers and trenches,” the article reads.

Drones and bunkers

A bunker usually has a reinforced roof covered with thick logs to provide structural support and absorb the blast, then filled with earth. Videos have been posted online showing a Ukrainian drone repeatedly hitting the same Russian bunker, gradually exploding the ground cover, damaging the logs, until a gap is created through which the operator can drop bombs into the space below. It is likely that the occupiers withdrew before the bunker was destroyed, but their position was breached and everything stored there was destroyed.

FPV attacks are more sudden and decisive. Some Ukrainian drones are now armed with thermobaric warheads. This is a type of explosive that produces little shrapnel but is powerful and “flows” behind the corners of ground defense structures. Thermobaric munitions can destroy a building and will be very effective against underground positions.

Some believe that the military would be safer if the bunker had a door. However, the door only absorbs the first one or two hits of such complexes before the defenses are breached. Heavy armored doors can be blown open by explosions or welded by thermic munitions, making them more dangerous than useful.

Destruction of large underground fortifications

Small drones are effective against even the best-prepared defensive positions. One of Ukraine’s biggest successes at the start of the Kursk offensive was the capture of an underground bunker complex described as “huge, concrete and heavily fortified” where more than a hundred Russians surrendered.

In the past, this type of attack meant that infantry could throw hand grenades and explosive devices if they got close enough. Drone operators can now deliver explosives with the same precision several kilometers away without risking the life of a fighter. If one drone is lost, there will be more.

The publication notes that the spectacular attacks of “dragon drones” spraying thermite incendiary mixture on Russian positions may not only aim to burn down hideouts. A video of a Russian occupier filming the aftermath of a termite drone attack shows holes burned through the drones’ safety nets in several places, leaving them vulnerable.

The article points out that the large number of small drones renders much of the previously acquired knowledge irrelevant.

“This is a new form of warfare and requires new tactics. This has happened before. Rapid-firing bolt-action rifles of the 19th century. initially destroyed massed infantry formations and forced them to disperse. In World War I, artillery and machine guns made infantry vulnerable in the open, requiring earth fortifications to survive. Drones may require a similarly dramatic change in tactics,” Forbes concludes.

Drones in war

As you know, the Russo-Ukraine war was the first drone war. Such a large-scale use of drones by both sides has never been seen in any conflict before.

Ukraine, like the Russian Federation, is actively seeking to increase the capabilities of unmanned systems. Unmanned naval vessels were developed, which were seen during the attacks on the Crimean bridge and destroyed several Russian ships. In addition, some Ukrainian drones already fly more than 1,000 kilometers.

It was recently announced that the Black Widow unmanned aerial vehicle system has been approved for delivery to the defense forces. The new Ukrainian-made unmanned bomber will be used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It is a tactical grade drone and can also be used as a strike drone.