Panel XVIb was moderated by Lieutenant General (ret.) Viorel Pană, Senior Associate Expert at the New Strategy Center, former Chief of Air Forces of Romania; Lieutenant General Dragoș Iacob, Deputy Chief of Defence of Romania; Mr. Andriy Sirko-Galouchenko, an expert on UAV development for military applications, founder of the Ukraine UAV Forum; Admiral (ret.) Eric T. Olson, Board Member of Ocean Aero, USA.

Drones have revolutionized how war is conducted, providing a crucial strategic alternative to reduce human risks and maximize the efficiency of military operations. The case of Ukraine perfectly demonstrates the strategic benefits of drones. With a much larger Russian military force, Ukraine has turned to drones to counter the enemy’s numerical superiority. Aware of the strategic advantage of drones, Russia is heavily investing in developing its own capabilities in this field. China’s support accelerates this race for supremacy. Although the advent of drones has changed the dynamics of warfare, the capabilities to counter them are still under development. Electronic jamming and direct kinetic strikes can neutralize drones, but their effectiveness remains limited.