Summary/Abstract |
In “Will the Drone Always Get Through? Offensive Myths and Defensive Realities,” Antonio Calcara et al. examine whether emerging and disruptive technologies, namely unmanned aerial vehicles or drones such as the MQ-9 Reaper and TB-2 Bayraktar, change the offense–defense balance (ODB) in war. Their investigation of “current-generation” and “next-generation” drones—those with greater stealth and autonomy, for instance—nets two overall findings. First, the authors contend that the former “do not yield an offensive advantage against current-generation air defense systems.” Second, the authors “caution against taking for granted that next-generation drones will have an offensive advantage against next-generation air defenses.”Footnote1 This latter finding recognizes that air defense technologies are likely to evolve and compensate for advances in drone technology.
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