And yet Ukraine is stopped by old school mine fields... Well, slowed down considerably. It is almost as if everything is a trafe off with benefits and downsides.
Drones work until drone-specific AA is developed, and then it will be the same race we see between tanks and anti-tank weapons.
The drones don’t interact with the the mine fields, and in fact, are extra useful in this in this situation as they can fly over them. I’m not sure I see the trade off here.
Well, a drone doesn't help ypu a tiny bit it getting across the mine field. Without that, well, your counter-offensive stalls, drones or not.
And for now, anti-drone AA is difficult. But not unsolvable. Jamming, small caliber radar controlled AA guns. Point defense weapons can shoot down cruise missiles and even artillery shells. Applying the same principle at slower drones isn't that hard.
Your demands are completely unreasonable, a weapon platform can be extremely effective in its role and not win a war outright. Yeah drones aren't magically solving the problem of minefields, so what?
My point was exactly that: no weapon system is a silver bullet, including drones. And just because something is old doesn't make it less useful.
And I didn't make any demands, not sure how you woupd read that into my answers to a thread started with "dropping stuff from drones is an attack that cannot be countered". People didn't learn anything it seems, first tanks were obsolete, until Ukraine wanted every single one of them. Then modern AA made fighters and helicopters obsolete, only to be replaced by drones as the latest shit. Those arguments are just cheerleading whatever is en vogue and hyped.
Tanks being obsolete is… not clear. Tanks vs. western anti tank missiles and drones dropping grenades does feel like a terrible ROI but they are still useful. Russia doesn’t have these things at the same level of efficacy so tanks are perhaps more valuable for Ukraine to have.
Helicopters and fighters are in the same boat. They’re useful, but vulnerable and expensive. The thing about drones is they cost $200 to take out weapons that cost up to millions of dollars.
Drones are immensely helpful in getting across minefields. Being able to attack enemy positions across the field prevents them from being able to safely attack sappers trying to remove the mines.
It is much harder to stop a small drone attacking a mobile position than it is to establish a large AA battery that defends against missiles. Missile AA is for protected largely stationary high strategic value targets. Drone AA has to be for small tactical level targets on the go. Way harder.
It’s not an ultimate weapon. I don’t know why you judge it as if someone said it was. It’s just that small drones can be extremely effective against personnel and light armored vehicles. That’s why both sides have to use them.
This doesn't negate the comment that you are responding to at all. Drones have been most effective in defensive operations, often in concert with mine fields.
Offensive is much more difficult, as it needs to be coordinated with ground forces that can be impeded by mine fields. It is also easier for prepared defense lines to stop drones than it is for an offensive operation in the open to defend against them.
Drones work until drone-specific AA is developed, and then it will be the same race we see between tanks and anti-tank weapons.