The internationalization of the drone supply chain has created a market structure resistant to unilateral export controls. The 37% increase in states operating armed drones between 2020 and 2024 indicates that this technology has become a standard tool of modern conflict.
Expensive, exquisitely engineered unmanned aerial systems (UAS) from Pentagon-backed startups are proving ineffective against the backdrop of intense Russian electronic warfare (EW) and the attritional realities of the modern battlefield.
Between August and October 2025, Ukrainian forces conducted 58 documented strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, a twentyfold increase from the preceding two months.
