Attritable Drone Warfare

Cheap, expendable drones are becoming a core battlefield instrument for reconnaissance, precision attack, harassment, resupply, and defensive interception. The issue centers on how low-cost FPV drones, loitering munitions, and improvised systems reshape tactics, force protection, and battlefield economics.

Attritable drones change the cost curve of war by allowing inexpensive systems to threaten soldiers, armored vehicles, air defenses, energy infrastructure, and rear-area logistics. Their spread across state and non-state actors suggests this will remain a defining feature of modern conflict.