Can they win it peace? – Firstpost

Armed drones have become a strategic advantage and are seen as a solution to combat modern warfare. Advanced armies, using armed drones, are likely to dominate the global arms market.

Countries like Türkiye, China and Iran have recently been engaged in manufacturing low-cost models and exporting them. Recently, Ukraine is going to get 100 Rafale fighter aircraft from France under the defense agreement.

What do armed drones promise?

A drone is a remotely piloted aircraft that observes and attacks targets with missiles and bombs. It promises a lethal and affordable weapon that can easily attack the enemy without troops.

Drones in Sub-Saharan Africa

Major parts of sub-Saharan Africa lack sophisticated air defense systems and need to deploy drones as precision weapons.

Since 2019, a growing number of African states – among them Niger, Ethiopia, Togo, Sudan and Somalia – have acquired medium-altitude long-endurance (MAN) drones.

Among drones of this type, Türkiye’s Bayraktar TB2 – along with its successors, the TB3 and Kizilelma (Red Apple) – has excited the public.

Effectiveness of these drones

The operational success of drones depends on fuel supporting infrastructure which is often missing in remote areas.

Medium-altitude long-endurance drones are entering African conflicts, which are marked by vast geography, difficult terrain and complex insurgencies that often span borders.

The region faces a lack of modern integrated air defence. Deploying drones as lethal precision weapons, isolating groups.

Since drones provide tactical advantages, it allows armies to attack targets without putting personnel at risk.

In conflicts such as Ethiopia and the Sahel, geography and logistics play an important role. Forward-deployed maintenance drones determine the coverage, persistence, and power of the attack.

While drones provide military benefits, their use in African conflicts is not creating peace. Instead, changing the nature of war and creating new challenges.