Flying Cheap, Hitting Hard: How Low-Cost Drones Are Rewriting Tactical Warfare in Ukraine

Abstract

Abstract The Russo-Ukrainian conflict initiated in 2022 represents the first instance of large-scale use of low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in a high-intensity interstate war. This article analyses how low-cost drones − including adapted commercial drones, First Person View (FPV) drones, and heavy multicopter platforms − have influenced the conduct of tactical operations, with a focus on reconnaissance and surveillance missions, artillery fire correction, direct strikes, and associated defensive adaptations. The integrating analytical framework combines the Cost-Exchange Ratio (CER) instrument for assessing financial asymmetry with the Tactical Network-Centric Warfare (T-NCW) model for understanding the restructuring of command-and-control logic at sub-unit level. Drawing on open-source analysis, security-institute reports, and recent academic literature, the article tests four working hypotheses concerning the enhancement of tactical observation capability, the specific vulnerabilities of low-cost platforms, the defensive adaptations generated, and the indicators of an emerging Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA). The findings confirm all four hypotheses and support the thesis of an RMA in progress, driven by the proliferation of miniaturised and accessible aerial systems, while stopping short of validating a complete and irreversible transformation.