Number of Armed UAVs Set To Expand Significantly | 無人攻撃機の配備数、大幅拡大へ

May 14, 2021
The performance of relatively low cost UAVs like the Bayraktar TB2 in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh is expected to accelerate the proliferation of armed UAVs around the world.
Credit: Baykar

無人攻撃機は21世紀のエアパワーの中で最も注目されている要素であることは間違いないが、今日ほど軍事戦略の中心に据えて考えられてきたことはない。

2020年後半、ナゴルノ＝カラバフ地方を舞台にアゼルバイジャンとアルメニアの間で発生した、6週間に渡る比較的小規模な軍事衝突は、無人攻撃機の有用性をあらためて実証しただけでなく、さほど資金力や技術力に優れていない軍隊であっても、無人攻撃機を活用することで相手に壊滅的な打撃を与えられることを示した。

 

無人攻撃機運用の有効性と簡易性が実証されたことで、各国はその必要性の再評価を進めており、2020年代後半にかけて配備数は大幅に増加していくと思われる。

While armed UAVs arguably have been the most high-profile element of air power in the 21st century, rarely have they been more central to military thinking around the world than they are today.

A relatively minor, six-week clash between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the latter part of 2020 not only reinforced the utility of these systems, but also demonstrated how even militaries that are not exceptionally well financed or technologically advanced are able to operate them to devastating effect.

 

With countries now reassessing their requirements in this domain following the recent demonstrations of both operational effectiveness and accessibility, that number is likely to expand significantly as the 2020s progress.