US kamikaze drones: war game-changer or buzzing boondoggle?

Kamikaze drones have been widely touted as a modern warfare “game-changer” but questions abound whether the new-age weapons are really revolutionary enough to reshape European and Asian battlefields of the future.

Last month, The War Zone reported that the US is considering the potential of kamikaze drones in its military strategy.

In a recent virtual talk hosted by the Air & Space Forces Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, US Air Force General James Hecker, commander of US Air Forces in Europe and head of Air Forces Africa and NATO’s Allied Air Command, highlighted the dual nature of kamikaze drones as both a threat and opportunity for military strategy.

Hecker pointed out that the precision and proliferation of inexpensive kamikaze drones, such as the Iranian-designed Shahed 136, have complicated defense scenarios.

The War Zone says these drones, costing anywhere between US$50,000 to $150,000 per unit, offer a cost-effective stand-off strike capability, especially for smaller NATO members and allies with limited budgets.

It states that the Ukraine war has underscored the urgency of addressing these threats, with Russia conducting one of the most significant drone attacks of the conflict using Shahed drones.

The report mentions that the US military is exploring novel approaches to counter these threats, such as Ukraine’s ad-hoc acoustic sensor network. It also says that Western defense contractors are responding to the demand for such drones, with countries like Poland acquiring them in more significant numbers.

Additionally, it mentions that the US is pursuing the development of lower-cost stand-off munitions and uncrewed systems with autonomous capabilities, blurring the lines between kamikaze