What I’ll also add is how use case of small drones is evolving...

What I’ll also add is how use case of small drones is evolving beyond conventional soldier on soldier fighting, and is starting to be used in covert operations.

Operation Spider Web is a great example of this use case. The drones used cost between $600 and $1,000 each, yet were responsible for causing an estimated USD $7 billion in damage, all while being smuggled in via shipping containers. That represents an extraordinary return on investment for a counter drone solution.

C-UAS solutions like DroneShield are specifically designed to neutralise these low-cost “toy” drones, making their value proposition clear when measured against the scale of potential damage they prevent.

This then has clear implications for the civilian sector as well. For example, critical infrastructure such as airports, oil refineries, or power substations could be targeted by similar low-cost drones, resulting in millions, if not billions, of dollars in disruption or damage (as we saw in Operation Spider Web).

There was a great quote I came across after Operation Spider Web. I’ll paraphrase here but essentially it was “Anyone paying attention to Ukraine already knew the kind of damage small cost drones could unleash. For everyone else, Operation Spider Web was the moment the world finally woke up.”

Source:

“Low-cost, open-source drone systems can effectively destroy high-value military platforms.

Operation Spider’s Web proved once again that FPV drones, built with inexpensive components and controlled via open-source autopilot systems like ArduPilot, can destroy strategic aircraft worth billions. These drones, costing $600–1,000, successfully struck aircraft such as the Tu-95MS and Tu-22M3—bombers worth billions that Russia uses to launch Kh-101 and Kh-22 missiles, respectively. This case shows a growing trend in modern warfare: Mass-produced, attritable systems with limited range or payload can inflict disproportionate strategic damage when combined with creativity and intelligent targeting.”

https://www.csis.org/analysis/how-ukraines-spider-web-operation-redefines-asymmetric-warfare?utm_source=chatgpt.com