The Decade Of The Drone

There have been two significant conflicts thus far in the 2020s, that in Ukraine and the one between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In both conflicts drones, specifically Turkish-made drones, related to tanks in the same way that aircraft carriers once related to battleships. History is repeating itself.

From the development of mass-produced steel the seas were ruled by massive battleships with powerful guns. It took a while for it to be realized but the aircraft would change the dynamic at sea. In the First World War battleships still ruled the sea as aircraft in reconnaissance and combat roles were still being perfected on land.

By the Second World War it was starting to be realized that, if aircraft could take off from ships and then land back on the ships after completing their missions, the aircraft would have a much greater range than the guns of a battleship. In combat the aircraft carrier could simply send it's planes to attack the battleship with bombs and torpedoes, while staying out of range of the battleship's guns.

In the Second World War aircraft carriers triumphed over battleships repeatedly. Now history is repeating itself on land. Drones are doing to tanks what the planes from aircraft carriers once did to battleships.

In terms of warfare the 2020s are thus far the "Decade of the Drone".