By
Amit Dogra
Africa-Press – Lesotho. The nature of warfare has undergone a profound transformation in recent decades, with drone technology emerging as a pivotal force in reshaping military strategies and tactics. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have evolved from niche tools for surveillance to versatile instruments for precision strikes, psychological warfare, and strategic disruption. Their affordability, accessibility, and adaptability have democratized advanced warfare capabilities, enabling both state and non-state actors to challenge traditional military powers, thereby redefining asymmetric warfare. However, the term ‘UAV’ or ‘drone’ may appear to be a recent phenomenon, but its roots date back to the nineteenth century. Drawing on examples from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, the India-Pakistan escalations of 2025, and Ukraine’s drone attacks on Russian air bases on 1st June, 2025, we will try to understand how drones have redefined the battlefield, altered power dynamics, and introduced new challenges for defense strategies.
Not just balloons!!
Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), have an intriguing history that dates back over a century. The earliest recorded use of an unmanned aerial vehicle occurred when Austria launched explosive-laden balloons against Venice in 1849. Thereafter, in 1917, the Ruston Proctor Aerial Target became the first pilotless winged aircraft in history. During the interwar period, UAVs were employed for reconnaissance and target practice; both Germans and the US worked on radio-controlled pilotless technology. The term ‘drone’ was coined during the interwar period, though the origin of the term ‘drone’ can be attributed to British ‘Queen Bee’ RC targets in 1935, and then in 1936, a US Navy group used the term to designate the radio-controlled (RC) aerial targets. The first notable operational use of drones in warfare was witnessed during World War II; the Nazi V-1 ‘buzz bomb’ was used against Britain and other allied forces in 1944. The V-1 can be seen as a precursor to modern-day drones in terms of its unmanned operation with a preset guidance system.
During the Cold War period, there were significant advancements in UAV technology, primarily focusing on surveillance. Modern drone warfare, characterized by real-time control and precision, began to take shape during the Vietnam War. The U.S. Air Force deployed the Ryan Model 147 Lightning Bug, a reconnaissance drone, starting in 1964. These drones conducted over 3,400 sorties, gathering intelligence over North Vietnam and China, marking the first large-scale use of UAVs for reconnaissance in combat. After Israeli success over the Syrian Air Force in 1982, the outlook of UAVs changed from mere ‘expensive and unreliable toys’ to the dawn of modern warfare. The UAVs again proved their worth in the Gulf War of 1991, and since then, UAVs have become an inextricable part of modern-day conflicts.
The Nagorno-Karabakh War (2020): The Turning Point
An important turning point in the use of drone technology in conventional warfare occurred during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan’s successful deployment of drones, especially Israeli Harop loitering munitions and Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2s, was primarily responsible for its resounding win. Drones from Azerbaijan destroyed 40% of Armenia’s artillery and nearly 50% of its air defense systems in the early hours of the conflict, giving the country air superiority and allowing ground forces to advance with little opposition. Targeting Armenian tanks, artillery, and air defenses with impunity, the Bayraktar TB2, a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) drone, was employed for precision strikes as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Armenia’s antiquated Soviet-era air defense systems, including the S-300, were ill-equipped to detect or counter smaller, slower-moving UAVs. The Harop, a kamikaze drone, took advantage of these weaknesses.
Azerbaijan’s drone strategy was successful because of both strategic integration and cutting-edge technology. To overwhelm Armenian defenses, drones were coordinated with electronic warfare (EW) equipment and artillery, showcasing the effectiveness of networked warfare. To demoralize Armenian soldiers and influence public opinion, Azerbaijan released expertly made footage of drone strikes, which had an equally important psychological impact. Armenia, however, demonstrated the vulnerability of conventional forces to contemporary drone warfare by failing to modify its air defenses, depending instead on weapons like the Strela-10 and Osa, which proved useless against the TB2’s standoff capabilities. This fight highlighted that drones are not only auxiliary instruments but may significantly affect the result of warfare when employed successfully, causing militaries around the world to reevaluate their air defense strategies.
The India-Pakistan Conflict (2025): Drones are the new normal.
The May 7-10, 2025, escalations marked a new normal in India-Pakistan relations; for the first time, drones dominated the entire warfare. As India launched Operation Sindoor, triggered by the Pahalgam massacre, the operation was aimed at hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). After the initial air strikes by India, the Pakistani side launched Operation Bunyan Al Marsoos. During the escalation, it is worth noting that drones were widely employed by both sides. India used precision Kamikaze drones like the Israeli-made Harop to detect and destroy Pakistani air defense systems, along with the IAI Harpy for Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) tactics. Several videos emerged on the internet from Pakistan where the sound of the loitering munitions could be heard, followed by the explosion, creating fear psychosis among the public. For tactical reconnaissance and surveillance, India relied on its domestically produced Nagastra-1, which can also be used in kamikaze mode along with the Israeli IAI Searcher.
Pakistan typically relied on Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones for short-range precision strikes and reconnaissance. For long-range attacks, Pakistan used the Chinese CH-4 combat UAV and Turkish Songar quadrotor drones in swarms with cheaper FPV drones that could protect the UAVs with warheads from India’s multilayered air defense. There are differing claims about the number of drones deployed by Pakistan, but it can range between 600 and 900, along with 350-400 UAVs. Pakistan also used decoy radars to lure Harop drones and shot them down when they descended to lower altitudes, demonstrating adaptive countermeasures. The conflict foregrounded the strategic use of drones for both offensive and defensive purposes, as well as their role in psychological operations, with both sides leveraging drone footage for propaganda.
Ukraine’s Drone Attacks on Russian Air Bases (2025): Redefining Asymmetric Warfare
Ukraine’s drone strikes over five different Russian air bases on 1st June, 2025, came as a surprise, and it left the strategic community pondering over its execution and planning. Ukraine’s Operation “Pavutyna,” or “Spider Web,” was a meticulously planned operation that showcased the transformative potential of drones in asymmetric warfare. Apart from power asymmetry, the cost-to-damage parameter was something exceptional. Ukraine used low-cost First Person View (FPV) drones mounted on trucks, which were remotely guided to hit the Russian bases. The trucks with explosive-laden drones concealed in them were smuggled to Russia and were placed near the bases as deep as 4000 km from the border and then launched in a coordinated way to hit several Russian strategic aircraft, like nuclear-capable Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers. Exposing the vulnerability of the Russian air defense system, the drone strikes inflicted massive damage on the Russian attack fleet and proved the might of drones with tactical expertise. Given the power asymmetry between the two nations, drones can give weaker nations a hope of deterrence against big powers. Further, deploying drones to hit high-value assets raises concerns over the traditional air defense systems, which were in shambles as Ukraine successfully achieved its objective to hit Russian high-value targets. The sophistication and covert nature of the attack also foreground the gaps in Russian preparedness; perhaps the Soviet-era air defense is useless in countering modern high-tech targets.
Drone tech is modern warfare!
So far, we have learned how drones have shaped the modern-day conflicts and how their use has enabled a new horizon of unmanned warfare. Some serious questions need to be addressed as drone tech proliferates; primarily, the concern is regarding non-state actors, especially terrorists. There are several manufacturing hubs for low-cost FPV drones, and getting access to them is not a big deal; therefore, it renders government institutions and public places more vulnerable than ever. From being deployed for mere surveillance to striking enemy targets, drones have been modernized and evolving with the times, and their affordability has democratized access to advanced striking capabilities. Apart from their access and capabilities, drones such as the FPV variant give real-time footage of the attack, which further deepens the psychological impact on the general public. The impact of the graphic visuals from drones has a cascading effect on the viewers, which spreads rapidly in this interconnected world. Rather than the traditional military strikes, it’s the drone attack that has generated more fear among the public in almost every conflict. Drones have rendered borders useless, and borders are no longer a bulwark against war; deep-strike missions and visual propaganda have created a new dimension in contemporary conflicts. Though counter-drone technology is still evolving, there are several nations that are vulnerable to UAV threats.
The character of warfare has changed dramatically as a result of drone technology, moving toward a paradigm that is more technologically driven, asymmetrical, and networked. Drones proved their usefulness in conventional warfare during the Nagorno-Karabakh War, in peer-to-peer competition during the India-Pakistan fight in 2025, and in asymmetric warfare during Ukraine’s attacks on Russian air bases. Drones’ impact in upcoming battles will only increase as they become more self-sufficient, reasonably priced, and AI-enabled. But this change requires flexible countermeasures, strong supply networks, and moral considerations to deal with the problems that this game-changing technology brings. In order to get ready for a future in which drones are more than simply tools, they will be defining characteristics of the battlefield, and militaries everywhere must take lessons from these battles.
moderndiplomacy
For More News And Analysis About Lesotho Follow Africa-Press
