ASYMMETRIC CAPABILITIES IN LARGE-SCALE MODERN WARFARE: DRONE AND COUNTER-DRONE DYNAMICS IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR
ASYMMETRIC CAPABILITIES IN LARGE-SCALE MODERN WARFARE: DRONE AND COUNTER-DRONE DYNAMICS IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR

Author(s): Florin CRĂIȚOIU, Florin OPREA
Subject(s): Security and defense, Military Sciences
Published by: Carol I National Defence University Publishing House
Keywords: counter-drone; sensors; electronic warfare means; asymmetric technological capabilities.
Summary/Abstract: The war in Ukraine represents the most extensive large-scale conventional military conflict in Europe in recent decades and provides a significant empirical case for examining accelerated technological adaptation in high-intensity warfare. While fundamentally characterized by conventional force employment, massed fires, and large-scale maneuver operations, the conflict has also revealed the growing importance of asymmetric technological capabilities, particularly in the widespread use and countering of unmanned systems. Methodologically, the article is based on a qualitative and comparative analysis of open-source intelligence (OSINT), military and specialized reports, operational case studies, and doctrinal assessments concerning the employment of counter-drone capabilities. The study examines the principal categories of counter-drone systems, including short- and very short-range radar sensors, electro-optical and acoustic detection systems, electronic warfare capabilities such as jamming and control denial, as well as kinetic and non-kinetic neutralization solutions. The objectives of the article are threefold: to identify operational lessons derived from the interaction between drones and counter-drone systems; to assess the tactical effectiveness and structural limitations of detection, electronic warfare, and interception solutions under combat conditions; and to formulate development directions for integrated, modular, and resilient counter-UAS architectures relevant to defense planning and force adaptation to contemporary battlefield requirements. The findings indicate that technological asymmetry functions as an operational enabler within large-scale conventional warfare, shaping tactical dynamics without altering the fundamental character of the conflict.

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