In today's defence world, drones are on their way to dominating warfare. On land, air and most particularly at sea, Europe’s biggest arms fair has demonstrated that the unmanned aerial vehicles are today's front-line shock troops.
At the DSEI (Defence and Security Equipment International) exhibition in London, all the talk was about the amount of money being poured into the technology, much of it from private hedge funds, with US companies in particular ready to “go large” on their development.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has led to a constantly evolving revolution in military affairs. Initially it was reports of Turkish Bayraktar models proving highly useful in taking out columns of Russian armour, then it was the highly improvised FPV (first-person view) quadcopters with an RPG warhead taped underneath that caused terror among Russian ranks.
The evolution exploded with Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb when in June it remotely triggered a mass drone attack launched from trucks that damaged or destroyed more than 40 bombers at four airbases deep inside Russia.
While Russia’s own drone developments cannot be discounted, as demonstrated by their massed attacks in Kyiv and elsewhere, Ukraine has also created an unmanned aerial navy that has sunk a third of the Black Sea Fleet and forced the rest to remain in port.
That has led to the latest frontier of drone warfare that is looming in importance and signals a new danger for sailors.
Red Cat, a company in Salt Lake City in the US state of Utah, is among those willing to invest for a good return in developing “mini aircraft carrier” drones that act as a seaborne mother-warship for swarms.
It has developed an 11-metre boat that can carry six Switchblade kamikaze drones, each with a warhead that can penetrate a ship’s armour alongside 40 Fang quadcopters armed with the equivalent of an RPG warhead.
Red Cat's plan is that a fleet of mother ships will sail more than 100km ahead of crewed carrier strike groups with a range of 800km or two days' sailing before refuelling. They will be equipped with AI-recognition technology and surveillance systems that will spring into life when enemy warships appear.
Game-changer
It is, according to Barry Hinckley, president of Red Cat’s Blue Ops, a “total game-changer” in naval warfare.
“Even financially it's asymmetrical,” he said. “They're swarming 40 drones like an orchestra, every instrument plays a different tune to the same song so you’ve spent $40 million to potentially take down a $4 billion warship.”
Those boats will include Red Cat’s six-metre kamikaze vessels, packed with explosives that would rip through the hull of enemy warships, as others have done in the Black Sea.
“There's no quick counter to this, so it certainly makes you think twice before you go into waters that aren't yours,” Mr Hinckley added.
Among the new systems featured at DSEI are the motherships of the air that are capable of flying long distances with a cargo of 40 or so drones in their belly, ready to drop at a 10km distance from an enemy target.
That is a sophisticated advance on Ukraine’s clever “truck n’ drones” Spiderweb operation that nonetheless provided insight into what the military imagination can achieve.
That is something the West will soon need to consider with much more seriousness and speed than it is currently doing, suggested Gen Sir Richard Barrons, one of the architects of Britain’s latest defence review.
Russia’s incursion of 19 drones into Poland demonstrated Nato’s inability to deal with mass drone attacks – with perhaps four taken down – and sending advanced F-35 fighters as reinforcements was a “massive overkill”, he said.
Instead, he told The National at DSEI, Nato needs to evolve an integrated air defence system.
And if there was a serious drone swarm with large numbers in attack, the prognosis was not good. “Nato's ability to do a whole lot about that is nowhere near good enough,” he added.
But the solution is available, he said, pointing at the many defence company stands at the London exhibition. As the 100 or so manufacturers at the expo could testify, counter drone technology is relatively cheap.
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
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Mumbai Indians 213/6 (20 ov)
Royal Challengers Bangalore 167/8 (20 ov)
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
The%20specs
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Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
