In 2018 an event occurred that really deserved more attention. A military parade was being addressed by Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, and two small, explosive-laden drones exploded. The attack was unsuccessful (Maduro survived) but around ten people were injured. The use of targeted drones represented a new phase of terrorism.
We are now a long way from the comparatively primitive efforts of 2018. While Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been a staple of militaries for decades (in fact the first attack using mechanical UAVs was at the Siege of Venice in 1849), the miniaturisation and improving technology available on the civilian market means that the threat from the small hobbyist drone is reaching new heights. This is being demonstrated in Ukraine right now. The use of cheap, essentially home-built drones has changed the battlefield. The drone has become to the Ukraine war what the machine gun was to world war one.
It doesn’t take much to do serious damage
I don’t see this remaining the status-quo indefinitely.
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