On the potential of drones in future military operations

[Abstract] This article delves into the multifaceted role of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in future military operations, outlining their current state of development, analyzing their applications in modern warfare, and uncovering their vast potential in future conflicts. It also provides a detailed analysis of existing operational shortcomings and offers targeted recommendations. The aim is to comprehensively present the full scope of UAVs in the military domain, providing valuable reference material for military strategy research, military technology development, and innovation in operational theory.

【Keywords】Drone｜Military Applications｜Future Warfare Potential

在现代军事战略布局中，无人机地位核心且类型多样，可按需选用于不同作战任务。侦察时，凭借先进传感设备突破阻碍防线，如美国"全球鹰"能高空高分辨率成像侦察。监视时，依靠气动与能源系统长时间巡航，以色列"苍鹭"续航数天。在目标指示与电子战方面，通过搭载相关装置干扰敌方系统并指示目标。随着科技发展，无人机正从辅助向核心作战力量转变，重塑作战模式，改变力量平衡，未来战场潜力巨大。

1. The Application of Drones in Modern Warfare

Reconnaissance and Surveillance

Drones have demonstrated exceptional performance in the reconnaissance and surveillance aspects of modern warfare, becoming a core means of critical information acquisition. During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, both sides extensively deployed drones for reconnaissance missions. The drones used by Ukraine possess strong maneuverability and advanced reconnaissance equipment, conducting multiple reconnaissance operations on Russian military deployments and logistical supply lines.

(2) Combat Strikes

作战打击领域，无人机的重要作用愈发凸显。在阿亚战争中，阿塞拜疆巧妙运用以色列制造的"哈比"无人机以及本国的"旗手"-无人机等，对亚美尼亚的地面军事设施与防空系统展开精确打击行动，充分彰显出无人机在现代战争中强大的作战效能，展示出强大的威慑力与打击力。

(3) Electronic Warfare and Jamming

无人机在电子战与干扰领域发挥着独特且关键的作用。据媒体报道，美军"捕食者"无人机将具备电子攻击能力，可用于干扰敌方雷达和目标定位系统，大幅削弱对方作战效能。无人机凭借自身灵活的机动性，能够迅速抵达预定干扰区域，在复杂电磁环境下展开有针对性的干扰，营造有利的作战态势，已然成为现代电子战不可或缺的重要力量。

2. The Potential of Drones in Future Warfare

(1) Potential for Intelligent Autonomous Operations

With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will possess highly intelligent autonomous combat capabilities in future warfare. They can autonomously make decisions and execute missions based on pre-set combat procedures and real-time battlefield situational awareness, such as autonomously planning flight paths, searching and identifying targets, and selecting the optimal timing and methods for attacks. When faced with complex and ever-changing battlefield environments, UAVs can quickly analyze vast amounts of data and react much faster than human operators, significantly enhancing combat efficiency.

(2) Full-Domain Combat Potential

In the future, drones are expected to achieve full-domain combat objectives, capable of overcoming the limitations of harsh natural conditions such as high mountains, deep oceans, polar cold, and desert heat, and successfully executing combat missions. In mountainous combat scenarios, drones can fully utilize their excellent low-altitude flight performance and terrain-matching technology to maneuver flexibly between valleys, conducting reconnaissance and strikes on enemy targets hidden deep in the mountains, completely unaffected by rugged terrain or inaccessible roads. In terms of maritime operations, large long-endurance drones can take off from land or ships to conduct continuous patrol and surveillance over vast ocean areas, effectively searching for traces of enemy ships and submarines, thereby eliminating geographical limitations in warfare.

(3) Stealth and Hypersonic Penetration Potential

未来无人机的隐身技术和高超声速飞行技术将取得重大突破，从而具备强大的隐身与高超声速突防潜力。通过采用先进的吸波材料、特殊的外形设计以及优化的发动机进气道与尾喷口处理等技术手段，无人机能够有效降低自身的雷达反射截面积、红外特征等，使其在敌方防空探测系统面前"隐形"，极大地提升了生存能力和突防成功率。与此同时，高超声速无人机的发展将进一步压缩敌方防空系统的反应时间，使敌方难以组织有效的防御拦截。

(4) Potential for deep integration with other combat forces

The deep integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with other combat forces holds immense potential in future warfare. Collaborative operations between manned and unmanned aircraft will revolutionize traditional air combat models. Manned aircraft, leveraging the experience, judgment, and ability of pilots to handle complex environments, will dominate the decision-making process in combat. Meanwhile, UAVs, with their small size, agility, low cost, and immunity to casualties, will undertake high-risk missions. When breaching enemy air defense networks, UAVs can lead the way to divert firepower and coordinate attacks from multiple directions, optimizing resource allocation. This allows manned aircraft to focus on critical strikes and complex tactical executions, creating a formidable air combat synergy. In ground operations, UAVs serve as invaluable assistants to infantry, providing real-time reconnaissance of enemy forces and firepower positions. This enables ground troops to gain a comprehensive understanding of the battlefield, precisely guide artillery and missile strikes, and reduce ammunition waste and collateral damage. This deep integration transforms future warfare into a highly coordinated, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive confrontation, driving the military combat system towards a fully integrated, intelligent, and collaborative evolution.

III. Shortcomings of Drone Warfare

The anti-interference capability needs to be improved.

In complex electromagnetic environments, the communication, navigation, and control systems of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are highly susceptible to enemy electronic interference. Once interfered with, UAVs may experience severe consequences such as loss of contact, deviation from their flight path, or even being hijacked by the enemy. For instance, during high-intensity electronic warfare exercises, some UAVs lost control instantly and crashed directly due to strong electromagnetic pulse interference, highlighting their vulnerability to complex electromagnetic attacks. This significantly impacts their combat effectiveness and mission success rate, becoming a critical limitation that restricts the operational performance of UAVs in complex electromagnetic environments.

(2) There is a bottleneck in endurance capability.

Currently, most drones are limited by battery technology or fuel capacity, resulting in relatively short endurance. Long-duration combat missions often require frequent energy replacement or replenishment, which not only restricts their operational range but may also affect the progress of operations at critical moments. For instance, some drones performing long-range reconnaissance missions cannot continuously monitor target areas due to insufficient endurance, leading to interruptions in intelligence gathering. This severely hampers the enhancement of drones' capabilities for long-range and sustained operations, making it difficult to meet the demands of modern and future warfare for drones to perform long-duration, large-scale combat missions.

(3) Limited load capacity

The size and structure of drones determine that they cannot carry a large amount of heavy weaponry or large reconnaissance equipment like manned aircraft. This, to some extent, limits their striking power and the comprehensiveness and accuracy of intelligence gathering. For instance, when striking fortified targets, the small munitions carried by drones may not cause substantial damage to the targets. For example, a certain type of attack drone has a maximum payload of only a few hundred kilograms, making it difficult to effectively destroy large underground bunkers and other fortified targets, thereby limiting the operational effectiveness of drones in high-intensity combat scenarios.

IV. Recommendations

(1) Enhance Anti-Interference Capability

Vigorously develop anti-interference technologies and equipment. The application of encrypted communication technologies, such as quantum encrypted communication in drone data transmission, is gradually advancing. Its encryption strength far exceeds traditional encryption methods, effectively preventing information theft and interference. Frequency agility technology enables drones to quickly switch communication frequencies when subjected to interference, avoiding interference sources. Develop new anti-interference materials such as electromagnetic shielding composite materials to reduce the impact of external electromagnetic interference on the internal systems of drones. At the same time, construct a multi-level electromagnetic protection system. At the hardware protection level, strengthen the electromagnetic shielding design of the drone body to ensure its stable operational effectiveness in the intense electronic warfare environments of future battlefields.

(2) Breaking Through the Endurance Bottleneck

Continuously invest resources in battery technology innovation, developing high-energy-density batteries such as solid-state batteries. Solid-state batteries offer advantages like high energy density and good safety, potentially increasing the single-flight endurance of drones several times over. For fuel-powered drones, optimize engine design and adopt new efficient combustion technologies to improve fuel efficiency. Additionally, actively explore new technologies for aerial refueling or energy replenishment, such as laser energy transmission technology, which uses ground or airborne laser emitters to transmit energy to drones, thereby extending their operational capabilities in missions and enhancing their application effectiveness in scenarios like long-range operations and continuous surveillance.

(3) Enhance Load Capacity

Starting from materials science and structural design, lightweight and high-strength materials such as carbon fiber composites are used to reduce the weight of the drone while ensuring structural strength. The drone's body structure is optimized with new design concepts, such as biomimetic structural design, to increase payload space. Simultaneously, the development of miniaturized, high-performance weapons and reconnaissance equipment is pursued. Through Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology, the miniaturization and integration of sensors and other equipment are achieved. Utilizing modular design concepts, drones can carry more functional mission equipment under limited payload, enabling them to play a greater role in combat strikes and intelligence reconnaissance missions.

V. Conclusion

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) hold immense potential in future military operations. Their capabilities in intelligent autonomous combat, all-domain operations, stealth and hypersonic penetration, as well as deep integration with other combat forces, will profoundly alter the face of warfare. By vigorously developing related technologies and equipment, and continuously investing resources to innovate key technologies, UAVs will play an even more significant role in military operations, driving continuous development and progress in the military field, and shaping a new form and structure of future military operations.

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