Oct 24 2022: The US Navy wants swarms of thousands of small drones

Back in Oct 24 2022: The US Navy wants swarms of thousands of small drones

The US Navy is developing plans to build, deploy, and control swarms of small drones that can overwhelm anti-aircraft defenses. This approach has been proven effective in conflicts such as Ukraine, where small drones have carried out reconnaissance and destroyed tanks.

Currently, each drone requires its own operator, but in a swarm, hundreds or thousands of drones can be controlled as a single unit. Many nations, including China, Russia, India, the UK, Turkey, and Israel, are also working on drone swarms. The US Navy has already demonstrated a swarm of 30 drones in 2017 and is now developing the Super Swarm project.

Fast forward to Nov 03 2023: Pentagon acknowledges flying unarmed drones over Gaza

The US has confirmed that it has been conducting unarmed surveillance drone flights over Gaza, in support of hostage recovery efforts. According to Pentagon spokesman Brig Gen Pat Ryder, the flights began after the Oct 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.

Reporters spotted the drones on flight-tracking websites and are being used to provide advice and assistance to the Israeli partner for hostage recovery. The US has also sent aircraft carriers to the eastern Mediterranean to prevent the conflict between Hamas and Israel from spreading.

What implications do unarmed surveillance drones flown by the US over Gaza have on the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel?