Ukraine and the Future of Air Warfare

With Samuel Bendett, Alum of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University 

This panel discussion will explore what the war in Ukraine signals about the future of air warfare.

Beginning last month, Russia launched a barrage of airstrikes, missiles, and Iranian-made drones against Ukrainian cities, electrical infrastructure, and thermal power plants. Faced with a series of battlefield defeats, Moscow turned to airpower in an apparent attempt to hamper Ukrainian operations and break the will of the Ukrainian people ahead of a cold winter. Though Ukraine claims some success in shooting down Russian drones and missiles, defending against such attacks is difficult. The United States and other European countries have promised to provide more powerful air defense systems, but deploying them requires extensive training, and integrating these disparate systems is challenging.

At the same time, Ukrainian forces have continued to employ a mix of military- and commercial-grade drones to battlefield advantage. In addition to employing more advanced Western systems, Ukrainian soldiers have used cheap homemade drones, producing components on 3D printers, to destroy Russian armored vehicles worth millions of dollars. Most recently, Ukraine utilized aerial and maritime drones to attack at least one Russian Navy warship in the bay of Sevastopol, home to Moscow’s Black Fleet.

This panel discussion will explore what the war in Ukraine signals about the future of air warfare. Are mass drone and missile attacks the future? How effective are modern air defenses against such attacks? Are new technological solutions on the horizon? What should the United States and other air forces learn from the war in Ukraine?

Featured Speakers

Margarita Konaev, Deputy Director of Analysis and a Research Fellow at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology

Tom Karako, Senior Fellow with the International Security Program and Director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies

Samuel Bendett, Adviser with CNA Strategy, Policy, Plans and Programs Center

Moderated by

Kelly A. Grieco, Senior Fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy Program at the Stimson CenterPROJECTPart of the War in the 21st Century ProjectPROGRAMReimagining US Grand Strategy

This panel discussion is republished from Stimson.