[greedo]

The best way to counter the smaller UAVs that operated with roughly a 6k-10k range is via EW. Jam their control links and they either land right where they are or RTB. Either way they're out of the picture. Unfortunately, that also tends to jam your own UAVs as well (at least the commercial ones converted for spotting and FPV attacks.)

Radar doesn't work that well since the RCS of these craft are so small and the radar systems have gate filters that exclude slow moving aircraft. If you tweak this lower, then you end up with a far shorter range with a lot more noise. And if you broadcast too much, you end up eating a KH-58. It's not a trivial problem to solve. Eventually things like better acoustic and vision sensor processing will help.

Despite the US wanting to ignore the impact of these drones, they really are a game changer. Cheap, distributed ISR via drones is invaluable. And imagine in a few years when the control systems use frequency hopping etc. I'm also envisioning a drone controlled via fiber optic cable. It won't be able to go far, but it can go high and act as a spotter, limited only by its cameras. It won't be jammable, nor limited by bandwidth. Kind of like how balloons were used in the Civil War and WW1 to adjust artillery fire. And if the invasion of Ukraine has shown anything at all, it's that if you get spotted, you die.

[topspin]

"The best way to counter the smaller UAVs that operated with roughly a 6k-10k range is via EW."

EW has been brought up a few times now in this thread. I know both side have been able to defeat UAVs with EW on occasion during this conflict. However, I also know that the Russians have lost a lot of costly EW gear to Ukraine: EW is inherently vulnerable because EW lights up the world with RF signatures that get targeted. Also, despite the large amount of EW gear that Russia has employed, they lose lots of tanks, IFVs and men to hobby grade drones every day. Russian EW hasn't been able to stop that.

So I question EW and whether it can really deliver against systems that rely on RF. Then, when you get to fully autonomous systems that don't rely on RF at all, I write EW off as next to pointless.

[greedo]

It's important to remember that all of the videos on YT only show successful attacks. Ukraine is reportedly burning through 10k drones a month.

Russia was terrible at almost all phases of the invasion during the first year, but has really buttoned down in two areas; AD and EW. Russia has been a leader in EW for a long time and is slowly responding.

EW can't be everywhere though, and the smaller drones can avoid it in some situations since it's line of sight.

Also, don't mistake EW as just jamming. Sometimes it's taking over the control channel for a drone, or something even more esoteric like microwaves that fry the systems.