Starting from the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) took an increasingly important role in support and combat activities previously managed by manned systems, especially in the realm of airpower. Subsequent conflicts established the arrival of the so called “Drone Revolution”, acknowledging UAS as a key component of the modern battlefield. These systems bring to the battlefield new capabilities, while at the same
time enabling a stark increase in effectiveness of other more traditional systems, both on the tactical and the strategic level. While UAS impact on the tactical level, especially in role such as ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and direct attack munitions, was already clear at the initial stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, its impact on strategic airpower became obvious later, with Yemen’s Houthis attacks on commercial shipping in 2024 and most importantly Moscow’s strategic air campaigns since 2025 and Iran’s retaliation to Operation Epic Fury in 2026.
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