Building Tanks While the Ukrainians Master Drones(theatlantic.com)
theatlantic.com
Building Tanks While the Ukrainians Master Drones
https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/03/who-needs-tanks-age-drones/686540/
3 comments
> era of high cost high tech things like helicopters, tanks and airplanes is clearly in transition
Tanks, yes. Helicopters, possibly. Planes, no. A stealth plane or heavy bomber can do things a drone cannot, and currently evades both air defenses and drones when used properly.
Tanks, yes. Helicopters, possibly. Planes, no. A stealth plane or heavy bomber can do things a drone cannot, and currently evades both air defenses and drones when used properly.
> A stealth plane or heavy bomber can do things a drone cannot,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle: “An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as an aerial drone or simply drone”
⇒ “Drone” is orthogonal to size or shape. It is possible to design an unmanned aircraft that can (largely) replaced manned fighters or bombers.
And that isn’t hypothetical. See for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned-unmanned_teaming, https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/s-70uas-u-hawk...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle: “An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as an aerial drone or simply drone”
⇒ “Drone” is orthogonal to size or shape. It is possible to design an unmanned aircraft that can (largely) replaced manned fighters or bombers.
And that isn’t hypothetical. See for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned-unmanned_teaming, https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/s-70uas-u-hawk...
The sci-fi authors have been writing about this for a while. Artur C. Clarke's "Superiority" comes to mind as exactly that situation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superiority_(short_story) and I remember reading somewhere it used to be mandatory reading in Army education. But of course none of our leaders here read anymore.