In war, it’s not the size or sophistication of the technology, but how it’s used – especially in combinations.
Elena Tita/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
A year ago, the Ukrainian military was largely equipped with Soviet-era weapons. It has since seen an influx of high-tech weapons. But it’s less what than how that’s made a difference.
It wouldn’t take much to turn this remotely operated mobile machine gun into an autonomous killer robot.
Pfc. Rhita Daniel, U.S. Marine Corps
The technology exists to build autonomous weapons. How well they would work and whether they could be adequately controlled are unknown. The Ukraine war has only turned up the pressure.
New weapons and technologies have been used on both sides of the conflict. Donors need to be responsible for testing these weapons first to ensure they are in compliance with the laws of war.
Residents watch a burning infrastructure project hit during a massive Russian drone night strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, in December 2022.
(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
With electricity in Ukraine constantly disrupted by Russian attacks, the Ukrainian population faces a difficult choice — to remain in the country under such conditions, or flee abroad.
Bakhmut: months of fierce fighting has led to a bloody stalemate in this key city in the Donbas region.
EPA-EFE/George Ivanchenko
Discerning whether that dark splodge in the water is a shark or just, say, seaweed isn’t always straightforward. In reasonable conditions, drone pilots get it right only 60% of the time.
In a few Australian suburbs, a cup of coffee or toothpaste can now arrive via the air. But that doesn’t mean drones are going to be widespread – for now.
The aftermath of a drone attack on Kyiv, October 17 2022.
EPA-EFE/Oleg Petrasyuk
‘Kamikaze’ drones allow Russia to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, but they are unlikely to make a big difference to the outcome of the war.
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Kyiv residential building destroyed by a drone that local authorities consider to be Iranian-made.
Oleksii Chumachenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Iran has a growing role in the Ukraine war, helping Russia augment its dwindling weapons supplies. That may help Russia, but it also serves Iran’s national interests.
Drones can be used to collect gas samples from active volcanoes, where it is too dangerous for researchers. This data can be then used to predict the frequency and severity of eruptions.
In July 2022, Iran provided the Russian military with training for using Iranian-produced weapons, including the Shahed-129 drone, displayed here at a 2019 military show in Tehran.
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images