The era of drone warfare is disrupting the traditional defense industry – FT

The era of unmanned warfare is destroying the traditional defense industry, – FT Dmitry Usik

Drones are changing the defense industry/Collage 24 Channel

For more than two years of war, the use of drones at the front has rapidly increased. The rapid spread of powerful new technology is shaking up the established hierarchy of the global defense industry, long dominated by large contractors.

The Financial Times notes that cheap, but effective FPV drones have helped close the shortage of artillery shells for the Armed Forces. The drone production cycle is short, which allows the production of more than a million UAVs per year.

Startups to replace defense giants

As analysts note, the development of traditional weapons programs takes years, sometimes decades. They rely on significant government budgets as well as large research and testing facilities. Speaking of drones, they are cheap, deadly and quick to manufacture, which makes small manufacturers competitive.

Ukraine demonstrates that the time go-to-market and more agile development are important. Instead of developing the perfect product, which can take many years, it is important to quickly create products that can be tested, modified and tested again. Speed ​​is critical, says Mikael Johansson, chief executive of Sweden's Saab.

It's likely not just the industry that needs change. The war in Ukraine has shown that national defense ministries will have to reconsider how they buy weapons to keep up with rapid weapons development cycles. Officials will have to expand the list of suppliers and attract smaller companies.

This is already happening. Thus, the Pentagon is already purchasing drones from relatively small startups – for example, Anduril Industries. At the same time, traditional defense market players are responding to challenges and often teaming up with smaller companies. “NATO has also begun to change its procurement processes, creating the Diana innovation accelerator to facilitate collaboration with start-ups and other technology companies. It also announced the creation of a NATO Innovation Fund, which focuses on dual-use technologies,” notes the FT.

However, the West recognizes that start-ups are developing “new technologies very quickly”, but the industry still needs traditional contractors who bring “experience and sustainability.