Drones Have Not Replaced Artillery, But They Make It Harder To Fire
Drones currently account for 70 to 80 percent of losses on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield, supplanting artillery as the "King of Battle." At first glance, this shift suggests that both Russia and Ukraine have transitioned away from traditional artillery in favour of cutting-edge drones as a means of delivering fires.
The reality is that drones cannot replicate the firepower of artillery, which remains central to Russian and Ukrainian combat operations. This shift has occurred not because drones are superior to artillery, but because drones have made artillery far more difficult to employ. Both sides use drones extensively to locate and target enemy guns, forcing artillery units to adapt their tactics in order to survive and continue delivering limited firepower on an increasingly transparent battlefield.
What drones still cannot do
Despite their growing use, drones face several limitations. There is an inherent trade-off between payload capacity, battery life, manoeuvrability and flight speed. As a result, many drones lack the payload necessary to reliably destroy armoured vehicles, fortified positions and other hardened targets. Drones are also vulnerable to weather, terrain effects and electronic warfare. And most drone operations still rely on one operator controlling one drone, which makes it difficult to coordinate large-scale attacks involving multiple systems.
So drones and artillery are often employed together rather than as substitutes. Many of the effects attributed to drones are still delivered by artillery, with a drone identifying a target and the guns destroying it. The Russian Ministry of Defence posts videos daily showing artillery units engaging Ukrainian positions identified by reconnaissance drones, and a number of Ukrainian units have posted similar footage of the same interplay — a drone detects a Russian artillery position, a Ukrainian battery fires on it, and the drone tracks where the rounds land to confirm the target is destroyed.
The jobs only guns can do
Artillery also performs functions drones cannot easily replicate. Offensive operations require the ability to suppress enemy positions, neutralise defensive strongpoints and shape the battlefield before an assault. A single artillery battery can deliver sustained fires across a large area and engage multiple targets simultaneously. Artillery rounds can also penetrate trees and light structures before detonating, reaching targets that are difficult for drones to strike.
Beyond physical destruction, artillery is needed to suppress enemy movement, disrupt command and control, degrade logistics and force units to stay under cover for extended periods.
Shoot and scoot, faster
Historically, artillery units have used a shoot-and-scoot approach, executing a fire mission and relocating before enemy counterbattery systems can respond. Drones have accelerated that clock. The battlefield is now filled with reconnaissance drones searching for artillery positions, and once a unit is detected, drones can direct artillery fires, guide loitering munitions or strike directly with bomber drones. Improvements in optics, thermal imaging and image processing make it increasingly difficult to stay concealed. Mobility, concealment and rapid displacement have become critical to survival.
Both Russian and Ukrainian artillery units have adapted by combining concealment with rapid movement. Self-propelled howitzers often stay hidden in secure positions until called on for a fire mission, then move into pre-prepared firing positions, fire a few rounds and immediately relocate. Videos released by the Russian Ministry of Defence show artillery crews posting security personnel armed with shotguns to watch for approaching drones while the howitzer is firing. Ukrainian units rely on many of the same practices: camouflage, dispersed firing positions and rapid displacement.