Drone warfare: Colonel Markus Reisner draws lessons from Ukraine at DroneVation 2026

Drones have long ceased to be just one new weapon system among many. From the individual infantryman in combat to the strategic air campaign, they are changing warfare at every level. Colonel Markus Reisner made clear the scale drone warfare has now reached at “DroneVation 2026” in Vienna. The Ukraine expert, who heads officer training at the Theresian Military Academy, gave a vivid description of a rapidly changing battlefield. His key message: those who underestimate this development may lose touch with the reality of modern warfare.

Rather than analysing individual drone types technically, Reisner took the audience on a journey through current conflicts – from Ukraine (-> Latest news from the war in Ukraine) to the Middle East and hybrid operations in Europe. At the centre was one thesis: drones no longer merely complement existing armed forces; they increasingly determine how wars are fought. Added to this, he said, is a second dimension that is often underestimated and is now gaining weight – the battle for the electromagnetic spectrum.

Europe in the crosshairs of hybrid attacks

The impact of drones has long extended beyond the battlefield. Reisner cited numerous incidents in Europe affecting critical infrastructure, military bases and airports. When airports have to suspend operations because of drone sightings, even ordinary citizens feel it, he said. But it is about far more than mere disruption: the incidents are part of a hybrid conflict intended to stoke uncertainty and influence political decisions.

This is most evident in the support for Ukraine. Through hybrid measures and targeted disruption, Russia aims to increase pressure on European states while making it harder to move military capabilities into Ukraine.

Air campaigns in both directions

The focus of the presentation was the course of the war in Ukraine. Russia is now conducting a strategic air campaign against the country for the fourth time, Reisner said. What matters is the interplay of cheap attack drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles: the drones are often meant to saturate and overwhelm Ukrainian air defence before the actual precision weapons hit their targets.

Reisner explicitly stressed that the Russian attacks are effective: energy supply, fuel depots and other critical infrastructure are regularly hit. What is often overlooked in the West, however, is that Ukraine is now also conducting a strategic air campaign against Russia. With long-range drones, it attacks targets deep in the Russian hinterland and has already significantly impaired parts of the Russian oil industry.

Adaptation on both sides

According to Reisner, the fact that Ukraine has held out so far is largely due to its adaptability. The Ukrainian armed forces now shoot down a large proportion of attacking drones. Increasingly, they use low-cost interceptor drones for this, which are far more economical than expensive air defence missiles.

However, Russia is learning too. Ukrainian defence is finding it increasingly difficult – due to new electronic countermeasures, better navigation technologies and adapted tactics. Support from international partners and, above all, the importance of the electromagnetic spectrum are playing an ever greater role, he said.

Drone warfare at the front: a death zone up to 50 kilometres deep

Reisner described the situation at the front very vividly. A “death zone” up to 50 kilometres deep has emerged between the warring parties, in which every movement is immediately detected and engaged. Heavy armoured formations can barely advance there; instead, the action is dominated by small infantry teams, motorcycles and drones.

Central to this are fibre-optic drones with first-person view (FPV). Because they are not radio-controlled, they can hardly be jammed by electronic countermeasures. This allows them to strike vehicles, positions and supply lines far behind the front with precision.

The Russian armed forces, for their part, now have a remarkably detailed situational picture extending up to 160 kilometres behind Ukrainian lines. This is made possible by so-called “hunter-killer teams”: they combine reconnaissance and attack drones and can thus identify and engage targets in near real time.

Concepts written off are making a comeback

One of Reisner's most surprising observations is the return of supposedly outdated concepts. Barbed wire, for example, is experiencing a renaissance at the front: Russian assault teams get caught in it and are then engaged by drones. The situation is increasingly reminiscent of the trench warfare of the First World War, when machine guns and wire entanglements brought manoeuvre warfare to a standstill.

Improvised protective structures on vehicles, motorcycles for assault operations and dedicated camouflage systems against thermal imaging sensors have also become part of everyday life on the battlefield. What looks improvised at first is often the result of a brutal adaptation process under real combat conditions.

Western precision weapons under pressure

Reisner's assessment of Western precision weapons was particularly alarming. Systems such as HIMARS, JDAM-ER, Storm Shadow and Excalibur are suffering more and more from Russian electronic warfare capabilities, he said. As an example, he cited the Excalibur precision-guided shell: under certain conditions, its hit probability has fallen dramatically.

Technological superiority alone therefore no longer guarantees success, as the war shows. What is becoming increasingly decisive is whether one can adapt to the enemy's countermeasures and bring innovations to the troops quickly.

A look ahead – and back

At the end of his presentation, Reisner turned his gaze to the future. He presented concepts in which balloons carry drones over long distances, with the drones only activated in the target area. This may sound futuristic, but it has historical precedents – from Austrian bomb balloons in 1849 to British and Japanese balloon projects in the Second World War.

At its core, however, his message was: there are no limits to innovation. Drone technologies and countermeasures are evolving so fast that armed forces around the world must question their previous assumptions. Those who do not learn today will be surprised by the battlefield tomorrow.

Reisner's conclusion is therefore unequivocal: the drone warfare of the future is no longer a vision – it is already happening.