\n<\/p>\n
For starters, militaries should invest in drones, defence experts said. Whether they risk falling behind by not doing so, however, depends on what the respective states are trying to achieve.<\/p>\n
“In terms of strike capabilities, for example, if a state wants to acquire those capabilities, but perhaps lacks the budget or the resources to invest in high-end fixed-wing aircraft or missile platforms, then drones might actually provide a viable alternative,” said Dr Ian Li Huiyuan, a research fellow at RSIS.<\/p>\n
“Of course, the state will need to be cognisant of the limitations in its capabilities, but at least you will have something, as opposed to not having something.”<\/p>\n
The adversaries also matter.<\/p>\n
“Why does Iran, for example, focus on cheap drones? I think the main reason is that its adversaries or its main competitors, like the US and Israel, have access to very high-end technological capabilities, which they will not be able to match if they were to go like-for-like,” Dr Li added.<\/p>\n
“So they need to find some way to kind of close the gap between them, and I think drones provide the option for them to do so.”<\/p>\n
Drones have proven that they can deliver tactical results. But can these unmanned aircraft single-handedly determine the outcome of wars?<\/p>\n
As drones transform battlefields, militaries around the world are readjusting their priorities.<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom unveiled its Defence Investment Plan in late June, announcing its “largest ever drone investment”.<\/p>\n
More than \u00a35 billion (US$6.7 billion) will be set aside over the next four years to build drone capabilities across Britain’s armed forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the conflicts in Iran and Ukraine show, drones are rapidly reshaping warfare, with cheap systems destroying high-value targets and innovation cycles measured in weeks, not years,\u201d said the UK\u2019s defence ministry.<\/p>\n
The British navy\u2019s ageing warships will not be replaced, while new \u201chybrid\u201d vessels equipped to deploy drones will be built.<\/p>\n
South Korea plans to acquire 20,000 military drones to fend off North Korean threats, similarly citing lessons learnt from wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Calling drones “game changers on the battlefield”, South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the drones would include short-range reconnaissance drones and small attack drones, known as loitering munitions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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