Quality over quantity: Unified systems are future of drones - opinion

The military drone market's rapid expansion has led to an exaggerated belief that more unmanned platforms inherently equate to enhanced operational capability. While this diversity of systems may seem innovative on paper, it often results in fragmentation. Each new platform introduces additional supply chains, training demands, maintenance procedures, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

In high-pressure environments like electronic warfare and logistical challenges, this variety can transform from a novelty into a hindrance.

Hence, the future of military drone procurement should not revolve around continuously adding new platforms. Instead, it should prioritize a smaller number of comprehensive, dependable, and interconnected systems capable of scaling operations. Such a system must offer five critical benefits. Firstly, operational independence begins with the supply chain.

A country cannot claim complete operational autonomy if its drones rely on a potential strategic adversary for essential components, software updates, spare parts, or technical assistance. This issue extends beyond economic concerns and into the realm of military necessity. If a crisis disrupts access to components, software support is withdrawn, or production ceases during wartime, the platform may become inaccessible when it is most needed.

Secondly, a drone is not simply an imaging device. It is an intelligence system that collects, processes, and transmits sensitive data, including coordinates, video, telemetry, flight routes, and unit positions. Consequently, a compromised system could expose not only the target being observed but also the force operating it, posing significant security risks.

Therefore, cybersecurity must be ingrained in the platform from inception. This includes secure communications, encrypted data, controlled software updates, transparent architecture, and the ability to function independently of external commercial cloud services.

Thirdly, connectivity is crucial in transforming a drone into a force multiplier. A drone that communicates solely with its operator remains a solitary sensory instrument. However, a drone that securely shares information with command-and-control systems, intelligence networks, defensive systems, and strike capabilities becomes an integral part of a broader operational ecosystem. This connectivity can potentially provide tactical advantages by facilitating rapid data transfer to relevant operational entities.

Fourthly, future systems should be designed for seamless connectivity with other sensors, support decision-making, and transmit pertinent information swiftly to the appropriate operational units. They should be modular enough to accommodate various payloads and flexible enough to integrate with future capabilities. A drone should not create an isolated technological entity; it should augment the entire force.

Lastly, the ultimate performance metric should be mission availability. While manufacturers often compete over specifications like range and camera resolution, these metrics do not always accurately reflect operational value. The true question is how long the system can sustain long endurance and reliable intelligence where it is needed.

Manufacturers may boast impressive flight durations, but the effective observation window may be considerably shorter after accounting for transit, battery swaps, maintenance, and communication interruptions. Similarly, advanced payloads hold little value if the aircraft cannot maintain its position over the mission area for sufficient time to impact decisions.

Military evaluations should therefore focus on mission availability, encompassing continuous coverage, payload performance, acoustic signature, deployment speed, weather resistance, operator workload, and logistical requirements for sustaining the system.

The current focus should not solely be on how swiftly a drone can maneuver, but rather on how effectively it can support a mission over time. A system that fails under disruption is not prepared for war. Modern battlefields are increasingly influenced by electronic warfare. Communications may be jammed, GNSS signals may be degraded, and false positioning data may be introduced.

A military drone should not be assessed solely in an idealized environment. It must be subjected to realistic disruption scenarios. Resilience must permeate the entire system, including the aircraft, navigation architecture, communications link, controller, and software. A platform that performs well only under a clean spectrum is not a combat-ready capability.

Resistance to communications and GNSS disruptions is no longer a special feature but a fundamental requirement for relevance.

An Israeli vision for the next generation of military drones exists, capitalizing on operational experience, technological infrastructure, and defense capabilities. The aim should not be to develop another Israeli drone, but rather to construct a comprehensive Israeli unmanned system. This system should operate across diverse mission profiles, from tactical support in the field to persistent surveillance from automated platforms, and as part of wider intelligence, defense, and strike networks.

It should be sovereign, secure, modular, resilient, and scalable, allowing new capabilities to be added without necessitating a complete platform replacement. Most importantly, it should be engineered from the outset as an integral component of the operational force, rather than an aircraft that must later be connected to existing systems. The future of military drones lies in building from the ground up as a core operational asset.