Helicopter air assaults once symbolized the decisive strike behind enemy lines. Today, their role is fading as small, inexpensive drones paralyze logistics at a fraction of the cost and risk.

The Helicopter Assault: A High-Cost Lightning Strike

The helicopter air assault became a battlefield icon in the late 20th century. Its purpose was simple yet ambitious: land troops deep behind enemy lines, disrupt command, cut supply routes, and sow panic. However, this approach demands dozens of aircraft, hundreds of troops, the neutralization of layered air defenses, and a carefully synchronized ground offensive. It is also associated with a high risk of human loss and high costs.

To deploy even a battalion tactical group—roughly 600 paratroopers—requires 20–40 transport helicopters such as Mi-8s or UH-60s, supported by heavily armed escorts like the Ka-52, Mi-24, or AH-64 Apache. The mission demands prior suppression of enemy air defenses with artillery, fighter aircraft, and electronic warfare.

The price tag is staggering. A single such operation can cost $20–40 million, accounting for fuel, ammunition, machine wear, and personnel preparation. The risks are equally severe: modern MANPADS and radar-guided guns can inflict losses of up to 30 percent of the helicopter fleet if enemy defenses are not neutralized. A few helicopters lost with their troops aboard can turn a lightning raid into a strategic disaster.

Still, this method has a distinct strength: the sudden capture of large facilities that cannot be neutralized remotely. Bridges, railway hubs, and command headquarters all demand a physical presence. When successful, a helicopter assault can do more than disrupt supply lines—it can create the conditions for encircling entire enemy formations.

Drone Mining: Silent Strangulation of Logistics

By contrast, drone-enabled mining is emerging as the low-cost alternative for disrupting enemy rear areas. And while drones cannot seize targets in the traditional sense, there have already been documented cases of enemy soldiers being captured and escorted to Ukrainian positions by drones alone.

A drone operation can be carried out by a handful of operators with quadcopters and improvised munitions capable of halting supply convoys. Yet the effect on the battlefield is strikingly similar: rear-area logistics grind to a halt, leaving frontline units starved of fuel, ammunition, and medical support. Even basic quadcopters with a 1–3 kilogram payload can deliver anti-vehicle mines like the PTM-1 or PTM-3 onto roads, bridges, or choke points up to 15–20 kilometers behind the front line.

Larger drones such as Ukraine’s Supercam or Russia’s Shaheds can extend this reach, dropping mines or small bombs deep in hostile rear zones. The tactic is cumulative: each detonation halts supply convoys, while the constant threat forces enemies to reroute or expend scarce engineers on road clearance.

The economics are stark. A week-long drone mining........

© The National Interest