Drones are a completely new threat to helicopters. According to “The War Zone”, shoulder -supported rockets, so -called manpads, were the greatest threat to helicopters for a long time. However, these weapons brought a clear disadvantage for the attackers: Because they can only be fired from the immediate vicinity, shooters make shooters vulnerable.
With the greater distribution of drones, this power ratio tilts: The pilots of the unmanned aircraft can in most cases remain unnoticed, and they are also able to react faster to the movements of the helicopters. But especially in terms of acquisition costs, the drones with prices from around 200 euros are clearly superior to the previous rockets.
Rakets such as the US “Stinger” cost around 780,000 euros each. The picture becomes even clearer compared to helicopters: The Austrian military bought UH-60 Black-Hawk helicopters last year-the model from the videos from Colombia-for around 60 million euros each. The drones used in the Ukraine War cost between 200 and 500 euros in the basic version compared to this. In addition, the drones also have another advantage compared to the rockets used so far: If you miss your goal, they can still be used.
The helicopters’ defense systems have not yet been adapted to the new threat. As “The War Zone” writes, future developments in drones could even increase this difference. While rockets are recognized by a warning system by most helicopters, drones are much more difficult to register and the helicopters meet so almost now. This effect increases for drone models controlled via fiber-controlled drone models, as used in the Ukraine War. You cannot even be tracked down via a radio frequency.
The latest developments in the field of AI could make the drones even more dangerous. The drones not only become a challenge for the helicopters because they can crash them. Surveillance tasks, which were normally done by helicopters, are now often carried out by drones.
At the same time, this does not mean that helicopters no longer play a role on the front: General Major Pierre Meyer said according to the “Defense News” portal at the “Paris Air Forum”: “Depending on the conflict, the fighting helicopter has to play its rightful space and its role – its use may have to develop towards ranged weapons that enable the plane to intervene from a greater distance.”
All of these considerations should also play a role in the Bundeswehr: the Bundeswehr helicopter stocks are considered to be outdated, the federal government wants to become active. At the end of 2023, the traffic light government approved investments in light combat helicopters.
