Recent conflicts and wars have proved that the widespread use of unmanned aeriel vehicles (UAV) not only brings about new threats and challenges, but also promotes breakthrough development in airborne assault concept of operations on the global scale. Therefore, research and recommendation of solutions to enhance the effectivenss of preventing and responding to UAVs are an urgent matter today.
As we may know, UAVs have been marking a turning point in a technological era. Recently, thanks to application of achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, especially the Global Positioning System (GPS), UAVs have made a great leap, particularly in the military field. Given their superiority such as low production cost, flexible architecture, utility, multi-role feature, and effectiveness, UAVs are researched, developed, and put into service of militaries. They are widely used for reconnaissance, early warning activity, target tracking, deployment of decoy flare, and attack. Recent local wars and armed conflicts in the world, especially Russia’s special military operations in Ukraine, have proved UAVs’ danger, complexity, and vital role in the theatre of war.
Today, UAVs are entering a new development period with increased sophistication and modernity because they are manufactured by new materials and integrated with artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, many next-generation UAVs with superiority in range, speed, stealth, payload, autopilot, open architecture, etc., are being researched and developed. There is a trend in designing micro and supermicro UAVs, which are difficult for being detected and destroyed and lead to the birth of new concepts of operations, especially the swarm of suicide drones. This is the new tool used for airborne assault, posing a real threat to defence and security while bringing about a revolution in anti-aircraft warfare.
Therefore, prevention and response to UAVs have been a pressing issue, which draw the attention of many countries, including Viet Nam. On the basis of right awareness of anti-aircraft warfare, including prevention and response to drones, we have adopted synchronous measures ranging from force development, establishment of posture, maintenance of combat guarding, and control and firm protection of airspace without being surprised. Nevertheless, drastic developments of military science and technology and adversaries’ plots and methods of employing UAVs are posing new challenges and requirements. The article focuses on studying and recommending some solutions aimed at improving prevention and response to UAVs, meeting requirements of safeguarding the Fatherland.
First, it is necessary to develop a system of textbooks and materials concerning UAVs. Currently, due to different causes, we do not have many materials and textbooks about UAVs. These materials and textbooks have not been complied systematically and failed to keep pace with new developments. Consequently, functional bodies need to cooperate in collecting information and timely updating countries’ development strategies and technical, tactical characteristics of UAVs and counter-UAV systems. More importantly, there is a need to step up studying and reviewing battles using UAVs and counter-UAV systems, especially in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, thus drawing lessons on concepts and tactics for using UAVs and countering UAVs in contingencies and the war to safeguard the Fatherland. This provides the foundation for compiling textbooks and materials aimed at supplementing and developing the art of anti-aircraft warfare, most notably the art of operations, combat methods, and measures to prevent and counter UAVs, ensuring suitability for organisation, staffing, and equipment of forces, military art of Viet Nam, all-people defence posture, and posture of people’s war to safeguard the Fatherland in the new situation.
Second, special importance should be attached to force development, acquisition of weapons and equipment, design and modernisation of systems used for preventing and countering UAVs in line with military modernisation process. This is both an urgent task and a matter of strategic importance in the long term because the trend, speed of development, utility, and effectiveness of UAVs are increasingly affirmed in reality, leading to the birth of novel concepts of operations. Therefore, in the short term, apart from researching and developing the art of operations in anti-aircraft warfare, methods for engaging UAVs in particular, it is necessary to study and recommending the Party and State for establishing a powerful, modern force in charge of preventing and countering UAVs. Of note, the national air-defence force, Army’s air-defence force, and electronic-warfare force play the core role in preventing and countering UAVs while the people’s air-defence force serves as the foundation. In the long run, there is a need to research and establish modern, multipurpose, specialised electronic-warfare units with a view to responding effectively to UAVs in any situations.
In addition, it is necessary to invest in acquiring, researching and developing, and modernising weapons and equipment, ensuring that these systems can detect, track, target, and destroy drones, especially the micro, low flying, stealth ones. Priority is given to acquisition, improvement, and production of electronic suppression systems; research and development of UAVs capable of attacking and destroying enemy drones. In fact, electronic suppression systems are the most effective tools for countering UAVs. Therefore, in addition to improvement and modernisation of air-defence systems, the acquisition and development should focus on systems which can suppress adversaries’ UAV navigation and guidance channels. This lays the basis for networking air-defence systems and electronic-warfare systems closely, ensuring effective response to drones at any scales and in any offensive forms.
Third, review and planning of uninterrupted, robust air-defence posture. This is a vital solution and a deciding factor in the victory of surface-to-air warfare, prevention and response to UAVs in particular. In fact, the response to UAVs becomes more and more difficult and faces many challenges. To timely detect, suppress, and destroy UAVs requires establishment of potential, force, and posture, in which the establishment of widespread, robust air-defence posture at strategic, operational, tactical levels is extremely important. Accordingly, UAV prevention and response posture must be part of the overall air-defence posture at all echelons; closely linked to the posture of people’s war in defence zones; create the initiative for preventing and engaging UAVs from long to short distances, engaging UAVs in a widespread and focused manner while protecting our forces. It is within this context that there is a need to review, plan, and adjust the arrangement of reconnaissance and observation posts, especially in key areas and direction; establish a reconnaissance, observation system with the participation of numerous elements and devices, ensuring full control of airspace, early warning of the emergence of UAVs, and timely communication. Moreover, it is necessary to set up extensive, multilayered air-defence posture which closely connects the national air-defence force with the Army’s air-defence force, people’s air-defence force, electronic-warfare force, cyberwar, cyber operations force, etc., being ready for engaging, neutralising, and destroying any UAVs encroaching the airspace of the country. Futhermore, it is important to adopt measures to establish strong air-defence posture in “people’s hearts and minds,” which aims to tap into people’s ability to detect, inform, alert, and engage UAVs in all areas.
Fourth, development of training programmes and conduct of air-defence exercises at schools and units. UAV prevention and response are a new, complex issue, which requires skillful, effective cooperation of many factors, including training and exercise. Consequently, in addition to development of textbooks, training manuals, and reference materials regarding UAV prevention and response as well as the support for these operational activities, it is necessary to rapidly develop and improve training programmes for counter-UAV force ranging from commanding officers, technicians, non-commissioned officers, the militia and self-defence force, and reserve. The training programmes and content must be appraised carefully, ensuring that they are updated with new issues about UAV prevention and response, capable of addressing emerging threats, and suitable for organisation, staffing, weapons, equipment, and combat methods of each force.
In the short run, there is a need to promote training and dissemination of information, which aims to make soldiers well aware of different types of UAVs and adversaries’ tactics and strengthen their willpower and confidence in military art of Viet Nam. Moreover, units must train their soldiers about reconnaissance and use of weapons and equipment for engaging low flying aircraft, small and micro drones in both daytime and nightime at short notice. More importantly, it is necessary to design scenarios and conduct counter-drone exercises. Every year, tactical- and operational-level units need to include anti-UAV warfare in their exercises, thereby improving command and control, combat power of soldiers, and coordination among forces in anti-UAV warfare, meeting requirements of the new situation.
Prevention and response to UAVs are a new field and witness rapid developments. Therefore, there is a need to conduct further research in a serious, comprehensive, thorough manner to provide scientific bases for proposing policies and measure to prevent and counter drones effectively, contributing to firm protection of the airspace of the Fatherland.
Senior Colonel, Ph.D., CAO VAN KE