The Economist explains

How drones dogfight above Ukraine

A growing number of drone-on-drone attacks shows how aerial warfare may develop

Ukrainian servicemen launch a drone not far from the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, Donetsk region on January 25, 2023,  amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov / AFP) (Photo by ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images

DURING THE first world war, fighter pilots duelled with pistols and rifles. Today, in the skies over Ukraine, a new type of dogfight is taking place—between drones. In October a video emerged on social media showing a Ukrainian drone ramming a Russian one, causing the latter to crash. It was the first known wartime duel between drones. Since then, Ukrainian forces have shared more videos of drone-on-drone attacks. Russian drones are also attacking Ukrainian ones (though information about those is scarcer). How do drones dogfight, and what impact might this have on aerial warfare?

This article appeared in the The Economist explains section of the print edition under the headline “How drones dogfight above Ukraine”

More from The Economist explains

Who are the Druze, the victims of a deadly strike on Israel?

The religious minority has often been caught up in regional crossfire in the Middle East

Myanmar’s rapidly changing civil war, in maps and charts

Ethnic militias and pro-democracy groups are scoring victories against the governing junta


Who will be Kamala Harris’s running-mate?

She is reportedly vetting a dozen options. These are the top three


Why have so few American presidents been from the West?

Kamala Harris’s nomination would be a milestone for the region

Why the Olympics still has a doping problem

Cheating with drugs has again become an organised affair

Why some Russian athletes will be eligible to compete at the Paris Olympics

Despite antipathy between the Russian government and the International Olympic Committee a handful will compete