In a recent article published in Foreign Affairs magazine, Paul Scharre analysed the advancement in military technology and why the illusion of Western dominance and America's technological edge is fading. One of the main reasons is the use of disruptive technologies, which was displayed during the war with Iran. Of these disruptive technologies, drone warfare has emerged as the game changer.

As stated by Paul Scharre, the fundamental nature of warfare is being upended by the proliferation of cheap, uncrewed systems. The U.S. military, long accustomed to building and operating a small number of exquisitely expensive platforms like the F-35 or E-3 Sentry, is now facing an enemy that can field vast numbers of low-cost, expendable drones and missiles. This transformation is not just about tactics but about basic military economics.

In the Gulf conflict, Iranian missiles struck five KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft and destroyed one E-3 Sentry aircraft, a loss that is even greater than its $300 million cost, given that the fleet is down to only 15 planes with a replacement programme years away. This dynamic is even more stark in Ukraine, where a $300,000 kamikaze drone boat can cripple a navy warship costing hundreds of millions of dollars. Ukraine has used this asymmetric approach to devastating effect, sinking 13 Russian ships and damaging dozens more. The cost-exchange ratio heavily favours the attacker using cheap drones; for example, intercepting a $35,000 Shahed drone with a $4 million Patriot missile is a Pyrrhic victory that depletes expensive U.S. stockpiles.

Drones are not static threats. They are evolving rapidly with greater autonomy. In........

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