As European governments, particularly Finland, rush to shore up their defenses in the face of the Russian threat, they are discovering that preparing for 21st-century warfare differs radically from Cold War models. While artillery shells can sit in warehouses for decades, stockpiling drones has proven to be a futile endeavor.
As reported by Hvylya, citing the Financial Times.
The war in Ukraine has demonstrated that small, inexpensive unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be just as effective as heavy armor. However, this has created a significant dilemma: by the time a nation procures and stockpiles millions of drones, many will already be obsolete—outpaced by new software, shifting radio frequencies, or advances in autonomous navigation.
"You don't need old models, right? They are inaccurate and useless. And they can expire a month after you put them in stock," said Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen.
FPV quadcopters and long-range strike drones rely on software updates, secure communication channels, and supply chains that can shift in a matter of months or even days. A model that dominates the front line one week may be completely neutralized by electronic warfare (EW) systems the next.
Many drones provided to Kyiv by Western allies prove obsolete the moment they arrive. Ukrainian commanders confirm that most Western models require reconfiguration before use, while many are simply stripped for spare parts.
Al Carns, the UK's Minister for the Armed Forces, highlighted the critical pace of change:
"By the time you've bought that drone, eight weeks later, it's out of date... The software needs to be updated 20, 30 times because the software can't get through the electronic warfare wall against Russia."
Drone manufacturers view the current approach to stockpiling as flawed. Lorenz Meier, CEO of Auterion, described the idea of warehousing as "complete nonsense" at this stage.
"European forces need to train with drones, learn to use them. If you train, you change the soldiers' mindset and tactics. And in three years you will still have six-month-old drones, but you will have built an industry capable of quickly churning out 100,000 units," Meier noted.
Another challenge remains the dependence on China, which produces up to 80% of the world's drone components. Srdjan Kovacevic, co-founder of the Croatian company Orqa, warned of vulnerabilities regarding radio frequencies.
"It is a misconception that technology moves fast. The frequency bands required for operation change the fastest. As soon as you find a working frequency, you need a transmitter and a receiver. Someone flies to China and says: 'Make us a module on this frequency.' And a week later, the drones are back in the air," he explained, adding that Chinese manufacturers supply components to both sides of the conflict.