First we need inexpensive means to defeat cheap suicide drones in the dusty air space just above our combat troops. But then we need to lift the burden of defeating those cheap suicide drones from our troops closing with and destroying the enemy.
I share the French suspicion that drone mania will be dulled:
While anti-drone systems are lagging and "leave the sky open to things that are cobbled together but which are extremely fragile," countermeasures are being developed[.]
Recent footage from the war shows Russia using its own unmanned aerial vehicles to take down Ukraine's night bomber drones. ...
The videos show Russia successfully destroying the drones using UAVs of its own as interceptors, war watchers have reported. Business Insider was unable to independently verify the purported details for the footage.
Or will be inevitable. Even if Russia is faking their success, the need to fake the capability indicates the need for the capability.
Where are the fighter drones I asked for years ago in Army magazine? That's ultimately what we need so forward troops at the pointy end of the spear can focus on the close battle without having to look up all the time in a modern "German glance."
The Air Force with their stealth fighters can't possibly sweep those small suicide drones from the "brown skies" as I called the very low air space right over the troops.
And of course then we'll need to escort our own suicide drones through enemy fighter drone screens.
So far, ground-based systems are what we're seeing. Or not seeing in the Army for defeating those small UAVs (sUAVs):
With these shortcomings in both procurement and employment of the Army’s future air defense programs, there is currently a critical capabilities gap that any enemy equipped with even basic sUAS can exploit. The Army must invest in an immediately employable antiaircraft wall-of-lead system for use at the tactical level.
Until we get the reusable fighter drones, we need that wall-of-lead barrier to cheaply down those suicide drones. Where are our old Vulcans? Tell me they're in desert storage somewhere and weren't sold for scrap.
UPDATE: I did wonder about shotguns to take down FPV drones as they make an attack run, but don't think I mentioned the option:
The company supplies shotguns combined with special drone ammunition, which are already in use with the French and Italian armed forces. Dubbed the ALDA round, short for anti-light drone ammunition, this type of projectile is dedicated to shooting down moving targets such as small drones, weighing less than 25 kilograms, at distances between 80 and 120 meters.
Why not put a shotgun mounted on a small remotely controlled turret on the a rack mounted over the rear deck of a tank? Although for models like the M1 it would need to extend out over the back because there isn't a lot of room. Maybe it's just a simple four-barrel model that has to be manually reloaded.
The rack would avoid blocking engine vents and could be removed for access to the engine. It would be able to cover the rear, sides, and top of the turret. I'll assume the frontal armor can handle whatever payload a small FPV drone can carry.
Just a thought. If I didn't mention shotguns for drone defense, I shouldn't have been shy about it.
UPDATE: Watching a video of Ukrainian drones hitting a convoy of armored vehicles heading to the front, I wondered why the Russians wouldn't set up air defenses to help the movement forward. Don't the Russians have ZSU-23-4 air defense vehicles lying around? As I thought about it, I've never noticed them mentioned. Apparently their naval infantry only has 60 in service.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.