Drones Are The Biggest Military Revolution In A Century

BusinessAerospace & DefenseDrones Are The Biggest Military Revolution In A CenturyByMichael Brown,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Michael Brown is a Partner at venture capital firm Shield Capital.Follow AuthorApr 26, 2026, 08:39pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.TOPSHOT - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky (L) speak next to the first batch of Ukrainian made drone missiles "Peklo" (Hell) delivered to the Defence Forces of Ukraine in Kyiv on December 6, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. December 6, 2024 marks the 33th anniversary of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP) (Photo by GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesThe Changing Character Of WarLast week the future arrived twice. Russian soldiers surrendered to Ukrainian drones and a Ukrainian maritime drone launched interceptors to counter a Russian Shahed. Given these two never-before-seen military developments, it’s no surprise that former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster commented that we have entered a new era of warfare. While the nature of war—a military means to achieve a political end—has not changed, the character of war is changing before our eyes. There are many new technologies underlying this changing character of war such as the increasing capability of LLMs and a proliferation of sensors from space, but none exemplifies this changing character more than drones. And no conflict has brought this more to the forefront than Ukraine.Ukrainian soldier with the UFORCE Nemesis droneUFORCEFundamentally, drones are changing how conflict unfolds. Increased lethality: drones represent the largest source of casualties in Ukraine, estimated to be about ¾ of all casualties. Lower cost weapons inflicting significant and asymmetric da...