This is a deep dive on drones ahead of an episode where Glenn and I sit down with a drone expert. Read up to get the most from that discussion with this deep dive into the various drone families and capabilities in Ukraine today.

🎙️ Welcome to the most detailed breakdown of drone warfare in the Russia–Ukraine War you’ll find anywhere.

In this deep-dive podcast episode, we explore how unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have transformed the battlefield from the skies of Kyiv to the trenches of Bakhmut. From consumer quadcopters to long-range kamikaze drones, this conflict has become a real-time testbed for drone combat at scale. If you want to understand how drones are actually used in war—by both Ukraine and Russia—this episode is essential.

🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Bayraktar TB2s and the Rise of Affordable UCAVs: Why Turkish drones dominated early in the war, and how Russian air defense systems adapted.

• Shahed-136 and the Era of Cheap, Long-Range Kamikaze Drones: How Iran's drone exports changed Russia’s strike strategy, and what it means for global security.

• FPV Drone Warfare and DIY Kamikazes: How $300 first-person-view drones are taking out tanks, artillery, and fortifications—and the psychological effect they’re having on soldiers.

• Lancet Loitering Munitions and the Hunter-Killer Drone Combo: Russia’s deadly precision-strike solution and how it’s reshaping Ukrainian artillery survivability.

• Drone Walls, EW Battles, and Fiber-Optic Control: The unseen war in the air—electronic warfare, signal jamming, and how both sides are fighting drone vs. drone with novel tech.

• Ukrainian Innovation and the “Army of Drones”: A look at Ukraine’s distributed drone manufacturing ecosystem and the plan to scale production to 4–8 million UAVs per year.

• Global Drone Supply Chains: The hidden role of China in supplying components, and how Western, Iranian, and Turkish manufacturers are influencing drone proliferation.

• What NATO, Taiwan, and the Pentagon Are Watching: Strategic implications for future conflicts in the Pacific, Middle East, and beyond.

🛠️ Featured Drone Families & Manufacturers:

• Bayraktar TB2 (Turkey)

• Shahed-136 / Geran-2 (Iran/Russia)

• Orlan-10 & Lancet (Russia)

• DJI Mavic, Phantom, Matrice (China)

• Switchblade 300/600 & Phoenix Ghost (USA)

• Warmate & FlyEye (Poland)

• Vector (Germany)

• Leleka-100, PD-2, Shark, Punisher, Bober (Ukraine)

💡 Why This Matters:
Drone warfare is no longer theoretical. From disposable quadcopters to advanced autonomous strike drones, unmanned systems are reshaping tactics, logistics, and geopolitics. This podcast breaks down everything you need to know—whether you're in defense, security, tech, policy, or just trying to make sense of modern war.

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