Latest news with #DroneSummit2025
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
A US veteran who fought in Ukraine says drones are 'horrendous' for soldiers' morale
A US veteran who fought in Ukraine said the amount of drones is a "horrendous detriment to morale." He said soldiers often can't leave their bunkers, and have limited ability to go on operations. He lost friends who had a grenade explode next to them "out of nowhere, under a blue sky," he added. A US veteran who fought in Ukraine said that the scale of drones in the war is terrible for troops' morale, and that soldiers sometimes won't see a drone coming in clear blue skies before it kills them. Carl Larson, an Iraq veteran who was born in Seattle and served in Ukraine's International Legion, said that the huge presence of drones is "a horrendous detriment to morale." "I can't speak for the Russian side, but on the Ukrainian side, it's incredibly corrosive to your ability to conduct combat operations," he said at a drone conference last week. "You can't leave your blindage, your bunker, at least not during the day," he added. Larson said that "anyone who's been under artillery barrage knows how negative that is to your mental well-being and how many soldiers, seemingly strong-minded soldiers, can't handle that sort of stress." He also said he lost "good friends" in Ukraine "that died from having a grenade explode next to them out of nowhere, under a blue sky, you couldn't even hear it. Bang, they're dead." Larson said that some drone types, especially the fiberoptic drones that both Russia and Ukraine are now using, are "damn near undetectable, they come in hot at over a hundred miles an hour." Fiberoptic drones typically can't be jammed, unlike more classic drone types, and Larson said that if soldiers can't take them down with more traditional means, like guns, then "it's horrible." Larson, who served as a combat engineer in Iraq, was speaking at Drone Summit 2025, a gathering of more than 100 defense companies, defense ministers, and military officials in NATO member state Latvia. He's no longer with the International Legion, but is still helping Ukraine, including as the executive director of Defense Tech for Ukraine, a group that works to get drones and other technology to Ukrainian soldiers. He said at the summit: "I believe that Ukrainians are fighting for all of us." Larson's comments mirror those made by Ukrainian soldiers and other Western veterans who have taken part in the fighting. A Ukrainian drone operator told BI earlier this year that there are so many drones in the sky that soldiers often can't tell who they belong to. And the sheer number of drones means soldiers need to find ways to stay safe, including building fake positions and digging trenches to hide in. Drones are so common in Ukraine that they've removed the lifesaving window to rescue injured soldiers, called the "golden hour," another US veteran, who trains troops in Ukraine, previously told BI. They have also fundamentally changed military tactics in Ukraine, because they remove lots of the element of surprise, the veteran, who goes by the call sign Jackie, said. Drones have been used to scan the battlefield and gather intelligence to direct other weaponry, and to launch attacks themselves on soldiers and other targets. They can also be equipped with bombs and grenade launchers, as well as machine guns. Ukraine and Russia are in a desperate race to develop better and more drones than each other, with Ukraine increasingly relying on drones as it suffers shortages of other weapons from its allies. In contrast, it can make most of the drones it uses itself. In his comments, Larson talked about the long-term mental toll of things like drone warfare on those in combat. He said that there are some groups that do "very good work" with demobilized Ukrainian soldiers to combat PTSD and work on mental and physical rehabilitation and employment prospects. "It's really challenging," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Insider
A US veteran who fought in Ukraine says drones are 'horrendous' for soldiers' morale
A US veteran who fought in Ukraine said that the scale of drones in the war is terrible for troops' morale, and that soldiers sometimes won't see a drone coming in clear blue skies before it kills them. Carl Larson, an Iraq veteran who was born in Seattle and served in Ukraine's International Legion, said that the huge presence of drones is "a horrendous detriment to morale." "I can't speak for the Russian side, but on the Ukrainian side, it's incredibly corrosive to your ability to conduct combat operations," he said at a drone conference last week. "You can't leave your blindage, your bunker, at least not during the day," he added. Larson said that "anyone who's been under artillery barrage knows how negative that is to your mental well-being and how many soldiers, seemingly strong-minded soldiers, can't handle that sort of stress." He also said he lost "good friends" in Ukraine "that died from having a grenade explode next to them out of nowhere, under a blue sky, you couldn't even hear it. Bang, they're dead." 'Undetectable' fiberoptic drones Larson said that some drone types, especially the fiberoptic drones that both Russia and Ukraine are now using, are "damn near undetectable, they come in hot at over a hundred miles an hour." Fiberoptic drones typically can't be jammed, unlike more classic drone types, and Larson said that if soldiers can't take them down with more traditional means, like guns, then "it's horrible." Larson, who served as a combat engineer in Iraq, was speaking at Drone Summit 2025, a gathering of more than 100 defense companies, defense ministers, and military officials in NATO member state Latvia. He's no longer with the International Legion, but is still helping Ukraine, including as the executive director of Defense Tech for Ukraine, a group that works to get drones and other technology to Ukrainian soldiers. He said at the summit: "I believe that Ukrainians are fighting for all of us." Larson's comments mirror those made by Ukrainian soldiers and other Western veterans who have taken part in the fighting. A Ukrainian drone operator told BI earlier this year that there are so many drones in the sky that soldiers often can't tell who they belong to. And the sheer number of drones means soldiers need to find ways to stay safe, including building fake positions and digging trenches to hide in. Long-term impact Drones are so common in Ukraine that they've removed the lifesaving window to rescue injured soldiers, called the "golden hour," another US veteran, who trains troops in Ukraine, previously told BI. They have also fundamentally changed military tactics in Ukraine, because they remove lots of the element of surprise, the veteran, who goes by the call sign Jackie, said. Drones have been used to scan the battlefield and gather intelligence to direct other weaponry, and to launch attacks themselves on soldiers and other targets. They can also be equipped with bombs and grenade launchers, as well as machine guns. Ukraine and Russia are in a desperate race to develop better and more drones than each other, with Ukraine increasingly relying on drones as it suffers shortages of other weapons from its allies. In contrast, it can make most of the drones it uses itself. In his comments, Larson talked about the long-term mental toll of things like drone warfare on those in combat. He said that there are some groups that do "very good work" with demobilized Ukrainian soldiers to combat PTSD and work on mental and physical rehabilitation and employment prospects. "It's really challenging," he said.
Business Insider
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
If drone companies don't have their kit on the frontline in Ukraine they 'might as well give up,' says UK minister
Drone warfare is evolving fast in Ukraine, where companies can test their products in real time. UK and Ukraine officials have stressed the importance of a battlefield presence for drone companies. Luke Pollard, the UK's armed forces minister, said: "You might as well give up" if you aren't in Ukraine. This means that it's increasingly vital for those looking to develop the tech to have a presence there. Luke Pollard, the UK's armed forces minister, said on Wednesday: "If you are a drone company and you do not have your kit on the frontline in Ukraine, you might as well give up." Pollard, who was addressing the Drone Summit 2025 in Latvia, added that "we can see the effectiveness of Western drone technology in the hands of brilliant operators in Ukraine." Valerii Churkin, Ukraine's deputy defense minister, echoed Pollard's remarks, saying that defense tech manufacturers must have a physical presence in Ukraine. He also told the summit that drones can take too long to reach Ukraine, and that "we need to switch fully to a wartime production approach: fast, simple, scalable." "Most importantly, decisions must be based on real battlefield experience, not from spreadsheets," he said. European defense companies, including Portugal's Tekever, Lithuania's RSI Europe, and Estonia's Milrem Robots, are among those rapidly adapting to the demands of the battlefield in Ukraine. Kuldar Vrsi, the CEO of Milrem Robots, which develops military robotics and autonomous systems, told Business Insider that his company updates its products based on their performance in Ukraine. "What we have learned and changed and implemented in our systems is everything related to EW, communication, and cyber," he said. "This is a totally different environment than in peacetime training or exercise environment." Milrem Robots has a team that regularly visits Ukraine, meeting with different military units and working directly with operators responsible for their equipment. "We listen to Ukrainian troops very carefully and try to analyze and synthesize," he added. And it's about to take its on-the-ground involvement one step further, with a team based in Ukraine to "be closer to Ukrainian forces and to support them even better," Vrsi said. Tomas Milaauskas, the CEO of RSI Europe, told BI that "our mission is very simple. To produce the military equipment that helps Ukraine win." More than 100 drone companies, alongside military officials and government ministers, gathered in Latvia for the one-day summit. Ruben Brekelmans, the Netherlands' defense minister, told those present that drones had "fundamentally changed modern warfare," calling them "the most important innovation in the defense domain."
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
If drone companies don't have their kit on the frontline in Ukraine they 'might as well give up,' says UK minister
Drone warfare is evolving fast in Ukraine, where companies can test their products in real time. UK and Ukraine officials have stressed the importance of a battlefield presence for drone companies. Luke Pollard, the UK's armed forces minister, said: "You might as well give up" if you aren't in Ukraine. Drone warfare is evolving at breakneck speed, with Ukraine's battlefields becoming a testing ground where the most innovative defense tech companies can refine their products in real war conditions. This means that it's increasingly vital for those looking to develop the tech to have a presence there. Luke Pollard, the UK's armed forces minister, said on Wednesday: "If you are a drone company and you do not have your kit on the frontline in Ukraine, you might as well give up." Pollard, who was addressing the Drone Summit 2025 in Latvia, added that "we can see the effectiveness of Western drone technology in the hands of brilliant operators in Ukraine." Valerii Churkin, Ukraine's deputy defense minister, echoed Pollard's remarks, saying that defense tech manufacturers must have a physical presence in Ukraine. He also told the summit that drones can take too long to reach Ukraine, and that "we need to switch fully to a wartime production approach: fast, simple, scalable." "Most importantly, decisions must be based on real battlefield experience, not from spreadsheets," he said. European defense companies, including Portugal's Tekever, Lithuania's RSI Europe, and Estonia's Milrem Robots, are among those rapidly adapting to the demands of the battlefield in Ukraine. Kuldar Väärsi, the CEO of Milrem Robots, which develops military robotics and autonomous systems, told Business Insider that his company updates its products based on their performance in Ukraine. "What we have learned and changed and implemented in our systems is everything related to EW, communication, and cyber," he said. "This is a totally different environment than in peacetime training or exercise environment." Milrem Robots has a team that regularly visits Ukraine, meeting with different military units and working directly with operators responsible for their equipment. "We listen to Ukrainian troops very carefully and try to analyze and synthesize," he added. And it's about to take its on-the-ground involvement one step further, with a team based in Ukraine to "be closer to Ukrainian forces and to support them even better," Väärsi said. Tomas Milašauskas, the CEO of RSI Europe, told BI that "our mission is very simple. To produce the military equipment that helps Ukraine win." More than 100 drone companies, alongside military officials and government ministers, gathered in Latvia for the one-day summit. Ruben Brekelmans, the Netherlands' defense minister, told those present that drones had "fundamentally changed modern warfare," calling them "the most important innovation in the defense domain." "Every day we learn new things from our collaboration with Ukraine," he said. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
If drone companies don't have their kit on the frontline in Ukraine they 'might as well give up,' says UK minister
Drone warfare is evolving at breakneck speed, with Ukraine's battlefields becoming a testing ground where the most innovative defense tech companies can refine their products in real war conditions. This means that it's increasingly vital for those looking to develop the tech to have a presence there. Luke Pollard, the UK's armed forces minister, said on Wednesday: "If you are a drone company and you do not have your kit on the frontline in Ukraine, you might as well give up." Pollard, who was addressing the Drone Summit 2025 in Latvia, added that "we can see the effectiveness of Western drone technology in the hands of brilliant operators in Ukraine." Valerii Churkin, Ukraine's deputy defense minister, echoed Pollard's remarks, saying that defense tech manufacturers must have a physical presence in Ukraine. He also told the summit that drones can take too long to reach Ukraine, and that "we need to switch fully to a wartime production approach: fast, simple, scalable." "Most importantly, decisions must be based on real battlefield experience, not from spreadsheets," he said. European defense companies, including Portugal's Tekever, Lithuania's RSI Europe, and Estonia's Milrem Robots, are among those rapidly adapting to the demands of the battlefield in Ukraine. Kuldar Väärsi, the CEO of Milrem Robots, which develops military robotics and autonomous systems, told Business Insider that his company updates its products based on their performance in Ukraine. "What we have learned and changed and implemented in our systems is everything related to EW, communication, and cyber," he said. "This is a totally different environment than in peacetime training or exercise environment." Milrem Robots has a team that regularly visits Ukraine, meeting with different military units and working directly with operators responsible for their equipment. "We listen to Ukrainian troops very carefully and try to analyze and synthesize," he added. And it's about to take its on-the-ground involvement one step further, with a team based in Ukraine to "be closer to Ukrainian forces and to support them even better," Väärsi said. Tomas Milašauskas, the CEO of RSI Europe, told BI that "our mission is very simple. To produce the military equipment that helps Ukraine win." More than 100 drone companies, alongside military officials and government ministers, gathered in Latvia for the one-day summit. Ruben Brekelmans, the Netherlands' defense minister, told those present that drones had "fundamentally changed modern warfare," calling them "the most important innovation in the defense domain." "Every day we learn new things from our collaboration with Ukraine," he said.
