West Lags Behind Russia’s Next-Gen Model of Drone Warfare
/ Go to the mediabankThe Lancet-52 (Izdelie 52-E) loitering munition is on display at the stand of Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport during the ADEX 2024 international defence industry exhibition in Baku, Azerbaijan.
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Low-cost but highly effective drones have become a key driver of Russian advances on all fronts, military expert Alexander Sinyugin told Sputnik, commenting on Defense Minister Andrei Belousov’s recent praise for the efficiency of the army’s newly established AI-powered unmanned units.Sinyugin spotlighted an upgraded version of the Geran drone, which is fitted with an AI system to track and destroy enemy targets, something that “represents a breakthrough in the further development of strike UAVs.”Echoing him is another military expert, Maxim Kondratyev, who told Sputnik about the Lancet loitering munition, equipped with an AI targeting system, “which is constantly being improved.”
When it comes to UAVs’ efficiency, the special military operation has already demonstrated that a small inexpensive drone can obliterate military systems worth billions of dollars, the expert noted. “In this regard, Russia is the first country in the world to be forming its own model of next-generation drone warfare as the US has to catch up.”
Kondratyev also praised Russia’s leadership in UAV dogfights—drone-on-drone aerial combat. To stay ahead, he said, Russia is continuously upgrading and modernizing its existing systems in ways that could dramatically reshape the course of warfare.
RussiaRussia Cannot be Dependent on Foreign AI Networks, It’s Matter of Sovereignty — Putin19 November 2025, 16:55 GMT
