For decades, high-end precision-strike American aircraft, such as the Predator and Reaper, dominated drone warfare. The war in Ukraine, however, has been defined by low-budget models made in China, Iran, or Turkey. Their widespread use has changed how drone combat is waged and who can wage it.
Some of these new drones are off-the-shelf quadcopters, like those from DJI, used for both reconnaissance and close-range attacks. Others, such as the $30,000 Iranian-made exploding Shahed drones, which Russia has used to attack civilians in Kiev, are capable of longer-range missions. But the most notable is the $5 million Bayraktar TB2, made by Turkey’s Baykar corporation.