Sky Wars: The Rising Drone Threat and High-Tech Counter-Drone Warfare
From 2006 to 2023, violent non-state actors carried out 1,122 drone attacks, with a peak of 265 in 2023. The 2018 Gatwick airport incident highlighted the public-safety risks posed by off-the-shelf quadcopters. The Ukraine war has been described as the first “drone war,” with both sides deploying swarms of small drones for surveillance and strikes, and in 2023 the U.S. supplied Ukraine with VAMPIRE kits (vehicle-mounted laser-guided rockets) for drone defense. Counter-drone systems use a layered approach—radar, RF, EO/IR, and acoustic sensors—with Fortem DroneHunter using compact R20 and R30 radars to spot small UAS out to several kilometers. RF detection