Latest news with #drone warfare
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Ukrainian military leaders stress it would be ‘nearly impossible' to fight Russia without drones
Ukraine's military commander in charge of the country's drone warfare program urged the US and NATO countries alike on Wednesday to learn from Kyiv's use of the technology on the battlefield so in the future there are not 'hard questions from your children [about] when [their] father will come back.' 'We paid with lives to get this expertise,' Maj. Robert 'Magyar' Brovdi, the head of the Ukrainian military's new Unmanned Systems branch, said during a panel discussion at the Association of the US Army's meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany. 'But you can get this expertise out of us, and we will support you the same way you've supported us during this war.' Brovdi spoke at the AUSA conference alongside Brig. Gen. Volodymyr Horbatiuk, the deputy chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They repeatedly emphasized the importance of using drones in warfare. Horabiuk said it is 'nearly impossible' to conduct the majority of their warfighting functions without drones, listing off examples of their use including for logistics on the battlefield and intercepting aerial threats, as well as striking assets deep inside Russia — something the world watched in June when Ukraine conducted a large-scale drone attack on Russian airbases thousands of miles from the front lines. Brovdi and Horbatiuk's comments come just two days after President Donald Trump vowed to send more air defenses to Ukraine, making a stark shift in his approach to the war as he has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid efforts to reach a peace agreement. They also came hours after Russia launched a barrage of hundreds of drones towards four key regions in Ukraine, hitting multiple cities including the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Asked Wednesday what the audience at the conference should know about fighting against the Russians, Horbatiuk answered bluntly, 'Don't trust Russia.' The packed ballroom, full of NATO military and civilian defense industry officials, broke into laughter and applause. 'Remember that any agreement with them doesn't cost even the paper.' Brovdi elaborated further on Wednesday, telling CNN that putting faith in Putin is 'not respectful to yourself.' Brovdi, who has a background in business, was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine in May this year. Speaking to CNN on Wednesday through a translator, he told the story of visiting a 'huge' NATO military base in Europe roughly a year ago and being asked by his hosts what he thought about the base and its defenses. 'I answered the following, that four of my battle crews standing only 10km away from this base can destroy it fully in 15 minutes, it would look like Pearl Harbor during the second World War,' Brovdi said through his translator. According to an official release by the office of the president of Ukraine, Brovdi founded his drone reconnaissance team known as 'Magyar's Birds' in the spring of 2022, which has since grown to a full brigade. Brovdi told CNN on Wednesday that he began using drones because he and his troops, an infantry unit, were fired upon by tanks, artillery, 'and we [could] not see anything, who was trying to kill us.' They began using drones for reconnaissance, to see who was firing on their position, and then began buying drones used typically for sports and gaming. 'We understood we could put a bit of ammunition on board, and we can deliver it with it,' he said through his translator. 'And this is how it starts. It was 27 people, nowadays it's much more than 2,000.' According to the release from the office of the president, Brovdi and his unit — 95% of which he said were civilians before the war began, including DJs and artists — had destroyed more than 5,000 enemy targets, and hit more than 10,000 more. Brovdi told the audience at AUSA that this was only his second time leaving the country since the war began in 2022, and that he would be back on the battlefield by Thursday. He dryly quipped that 'Putin's propaganda named me as the most wanted enemy, so it [could] be the last time you see me, here.' The two commanders thanked the countries present at the conference for their support of Ukraine and urged allies and partners to learn from Ukraine's efforts. Horbatiuk expressed 'from the bottom of [his] heart' the appreciation for support to Ukraine and dedication. 'I would like to ask you,' he said in a parting line, 'to be more decisive.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Ukrainian military leaders stress it would be ‘nearly impossible' to fight Russia without drones
Ukraine's military commander in charge of the country's drone warfare program urged the US and NATO countries alike on Wednesday to learn from Kyiv's use of the technology on the battlefield so in the future there are not 'hard questions from your children [about] when [their] father will come back.' 'We paid with lives to get this expertise,' Maj. Robert 'Magyar' Brovdi, the head of the Ukrainian military's new Unmanned Systems branch, said during a panel discussion at the Association of the US Army's meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany. 'But you can get this expertise out of us, and we will support you the same way you've supported us during this war.' Brovdi spoke at the AUSA conference alongside Brig. Gen. Volodymyr Horbatiuk, the deputy chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They repeatedly emphasized the importance of using drones in warfare. Horabiuk said it is 'nearly impossible' to conduct the majority of their warfighting functions without drones, listing off examples of their use including for logistics on the battlefield and intercepting aerial threats, as well as striking assets deep inside Russia — something the world watched in June when Ukraine conducted a large-scale drone attack on Russian airbases thousands of miles from the front lines. Brovdi and Horbatiuk's comments come just two days after President Donald Trump vowed to send more air defenses to Ukraine, making a stark shift in his approach to the war as he has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid efforts to reach a peace agreement. They also came hours after Russia launched a barrage of hundreds of drones towards four key regions in Ukraine, hitting multiple cities including the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Asked Wednesday what the audience at the conference should know about fighting against the Russians, Horbatiuk answered bluntly, 'Don't trust Russia.' The packed ballroom, full of NATO military and civilian defense industry officials, broke into laughter and applause. 'Remember that any agreement with them doesn't cost even the paper.' Brovdi elaborated further on Wednesday, telling CNN that putting faith in Putin is 'not respectful to yourself.' Brovdi, who has a background in business, was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine in May this year. Speaking to CNN on Wednesday through a translator, he told the story of visiting a 'huge' NATO military base in Europe roughly a year ago and being asked by his hosts what he thought about the base and its defenses. 'I answered the following, that four of my battle crews standing only 10km away from this base can destroy it fully in 15 minutes, it would look like Pearl Harbor during the second World War,' Brovdi said through his translator. According to an official release by the office of the president of Ukraine, Brovdi founded his drone reconnaissance team known as 'Magyar's Birds' in the spring of 2022, which has since grown to a full brigade. Brovdi told CNN on Wednesday that he began using drones because he and his troops, an infantry unit, were fired upon by tanks, artillery, 'and we [could] not see anything, who was trying to kill us.' They began using drones for reconnaissance, to see who was firing on their position, and then began buying drones used typically for sports and gaming. 'We understood we could put a bit of ammunition on board, and we can deliver it with it,' he said through his translator. 'And this is how it starts. It was 27 people, nowadays it's much more than 2,000.' According to the release from the office of the president, Brovdi and his unit — 95% of which he said were civilians before the war began, including DJs and artists — had destroyed more than 5,000 enemy targets, and hit more than 10,000 more. Brovdi told the audience at AUSA that this was only his second time leaving the country since the war began in 2022, and that he would be back on the battlefield by Thursday. He dryly quipped that 'Putin's propaganda named me as the most wanted enemy, so it [could] be the last time you see me, here.' The two commanders thanked the countries present at the conference for their support of Ukraine and urged allies and partners to learn from Ukraine's efforts. Horbatiuk expressed 'from the bottom of [his] heart' the appreciation for support to Ukraine and dedication. 'I would like to ask you,' he said in a parting line, 'to be more decisive.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Ukrainian military leaders stress it would be ‘nearly impossible' to fight Russia without drones
Ukraine's military commander in charge of the country's drone warfare program urged the US and NATO countries alike on Wednesday to learn from Kyiv's use of the technology on the battlefield so in the future there are not 'hard questions from your children [about] when [their] father will come back.' 'We paid with lives to get this expertise,' Maj. Robert 'Magyar' Brovdi, the head of the Ukrainian military's new Unmanned Systems branch, said during a panel discussion at the Association of the US Army's meeting in Wiesbaden, Germany. 'But you can get this expertise out of us, and we will support you the same way you've supported us during this war.' Brovdi spoke at the AUSA conference alongside Brig. Gen. Volodymyr Horbatiuk, the deputy chief of the general staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. They repeatedly emphasized the importance of using drones in warfare. Horabiuk said it is 'nearly impossible' to conduct the majority of their warfighting functions without drones, listing off examples of their use including for logistics on the battlefield and intercepting aerial threats, as well as striking assets deep inside Russia — something the world watched in June when Ukraine conducted a large-scale drone attack on Russian airbases thousands of miles from the front lines. Brovdi and Horbatiuk's comments come just two days after President Donald Trump vowed to send more air defenses to Ukraine, making a stark shift in his approach to the war as he has grown increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid efforts to reach a peace agreement. They also came hours after Russia launched a barrage of hundreds of drones towards four key regions in Ukraine, hitting multiple cities including the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Asked Wednesday what the audience at the conference should know about fighting against the Russians, Horbatiuk answered bluntly, 'Don't trust Russia.' The packed ballroom, full of NATO military and civilian defense industry officials, broke into laughter and applause. 'Remember that any agreement with them doesn't cost even the paper.' Brovdi elaborated further on Wednesday, telling CNN that putting faith in Putin is 'not respectful to yourself.' Brovdi, who has a background in business, was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine in May this year. Speaking to CNN on Wednesday through a translator, he told the story of visiting a 'huge' NATO military base in Europe roughly a year ago and being asked by his hosts what he thought about the base and its defenses. 'I answered the following, that four of my battle crews standing only 10km away from this base can destroy it fully in 15 minutes, it would look like Pearl Harbor during the second World War,' Brovdi said through his translator. According to an official release by the office of the president of Ukraine, Brovdi founded his drone reconnaissance team known as 'Magyar's Birds' in the spring of 2022, which has since grown to a full brigade. Brovdi told CNN on Wednesday that he began using drones because he and his troops, an infantry unit, were fired upon by tanks, artillery, 'and we [could] not see anything, who was trying to kill us.' They began using drones for reconnaissance, to see who was firing on their position, and then began buying drones used typically for sports and gaming. 'We understood we could put a bit of ammunition on board, and we can deliver it with it,' he said through his translator. 'And this is how it starts. It was 27 people, nowadays it's much more than 2,000.' According to the release from the office of the president, Brovdi and his unit — 95% of which he said were civilians before the war began, including DJs and artists — had destroyed more than 5,000 enemy targets, and hit more than 10,000 more. Brovdi told the audience at AUSA that this was only his second time leaving the country since the war began in 2022, and that he would be back on the battlefield by Thursday. He dryly quipped that 'Putin's propaganda named me as the most wanted enemy, so it [could] be the last time you see me, here.' The two commanders thanked the countries present at the conference for their support of Ukraine and urged allies and partners to learn from Ukraine's efforts. Horbatiuk expressed 'from the bottom of [his] heart' the appreciation for support to Ukraine and dedication. 'I would like to ask you,' he said in a parting line, 'to be more decisive.'
New York Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Drones Are Key to Winning Wars Now. The U.S. Makes Hardly Any.
On a patch of dirt in the vast wilderness in Alaska, a long-range drone roared like a lawn mower as it shot into the sky. It scanned the ground for a target it had been programmed to recognize, and then dived, attempting to destroy it by crashing into it. But it missed, landing about 80 feet away. On another attempt, a drone nose-dived at launch. On a subsequent try, a drone crashed into a mountain. These drones weren't flown by amateur hobbyists. They were launched by drone manufacturers paid by a special unit of the Department of Defense as part of an urgent effort to update U.S. capabilities. For four days last month, they tested prototypes of one-way drones by trying to crash them into programmed targets, while soldiers tried to stop the drones with special electronic equipment. The exercise aimed to help U.S. defense contractors and soldiers get better at drone warfare. But it illustrated some of the ways in which the U.S. military could be unprepared for such a conflict. The nation lags behind Russia and China in manufacturing drones, training soldiers to use them and defending against them, according to interviews with more than a dozen U.S. military officials and drone industry experts. 'We all know the same thing. We aren't giving the American war fighter what they need to survive warfare today,' said Trent Emeneker, project manager of the Autonomy Portfolio at the military's Defense Innovation Unit, which organized the exercise in Alaska and paid for the development of the drone prototypes that flew there. 'If we had to go to war tomorrow, do we have what we need? No. What we are trying to do is fix that.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has acknowledged that the country has fallen behind, and he announced a series of new policies and investments in drones that he vowed would close the gap. In a video released on Thursday, he cited outdated rules and procurement processes as making it too difficult for commanding officers to buy drones and train their soldiers to use them. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
