The sky is no longer safe as drones are the frontline of a new urban war

Several years ago, a video was released intended to frighten the public about autonomous drones. The video depicted lethal autonomous drones that could reach any location in urban space and search for human targets based on facial features.

We're not there yet – but we're on the fast track to such a threat. And whether we want to or  not, we need to prepare for threatening drones that currently focus on the combat front that could soon infiltrate urban areas- very similar to the threat in the dystopian world that the video envisioned. We failed to prevent that future, and now we must address the threats.

All of Europe, not just Ukraine, has been threatened in recent months by both Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and drones. Poland was attacked by 19 Russian Shahed-136 UAVs, some of which struck random targets at a depth of hundreds of kilometers inside Poland, and no, this was not a Russian mistake, as Polish SIM cards were found in the downed aircraft, along with additional fuel tanks to enable greater flight range. NATO forces managed to shoot down only 4 out of the 19 penetrating UAVs using Dutch F-35 jets assigned to NATO, aircraft that do not constitute the right response to this threat.

Additionally, unidentified drones have shut down approximately seven airports in the past two months. Copenhagen Airport was forced to close for four hours on September 22, while Oslo Airport in Norway shut down for three hours the same evening. Days later, Denmark's Aalborg Airport closed twice due to drone activity, and Munich Airport in Germany was grounded for nearly seven hours overnight on October 2, affecting thousands of passengers. Stockholm's Arlanda Airport also experienced disruptions in early September. Perhaps these are Russians sending drones from ghost ships in the Black Sea, though this matter has not yet been confirmed.

Drones constitute the most lethal weapon on the Russia-Ukraine front, and they are responsible for approximately 70% of casualties on both sides. In most cases, these are FPV (First Person View) drones that are flown by a human at very high speeds (150 km/h) and down to hovering in place. The operator is a skilled pilot, typically connected via fiber optic cable of 10 or 20 km, in a manner that allows the drone to avoid detection, evade jamming, and provides good communication with the human operator who selects the targets.

The drone is equipped with a small explosive payload, and it explodes with half-meter precision on any target – a person, vehicle, armored vehicle, civilian and military installations, oil production facilities, aircraft at bases, and recently also a Russian helicopter that was shot down in the air by an FPV drone.

In the near future, we will arrive at those lethal autonomous drones, which are not flown by a human, but arrive with a target or multiple targets for attack, can identify structures, vehicles, or people based on artificial intelligence, while the size of the drones will also change to smaller drones, faster ones, and also those that will arrive in swarms of tens, hundreds, and perhaps thousands.

Today, only at the front line is there a full awareness of strike drones. In the war between Russia and Ukraine, many vehicles look like hedgehogs – equipped with iron rods welded to the vehicle, aimed at keeping the explosion of suicide drones at a distance. In addition, there are sometimes massive nets spanning tens of kilometers above roads near the front. Giant nets are also covering Russian oil facilities, iron cages covering vehicles and tanks, and more defenses in the form of rigid nets or flexible nets, and other sorts of defenses.

At the front line in Israel there are certain defensive lines, however awareness is still low, because the threat has not yet arrived at its full force-though it will arrive.

And away from the frontline, there is no preparation, no readiness to handle such threats. Public buildings, schools, football stadiums and other sports facilities, schools, universities, and even strategic sites like the Knesset or the Supreme Court…the list goes on. No one is protected against offensive drones, and the potential for disaster is enormous, one that will not be possible to explain after the fact.

This is a threat that exists, and we can foretell such attacks, because the technology of lethal drones exists. It is available on the Internet to anyone who wants it, including fiber optic cables 20 km long, which are available for purchase on AliExpress for less than $200.

To be prepared for the drone threat and loitering munitions, UAVs with partial autonomy or full autonomy soon, the following immediate actions must be taken:

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Beyond physical infrastructure, we must invest heavily in public awareness. Citizens need to be educated about different types of drones, the distinctive sounds they make – from the high-pitched buzz of FPV racing drones to the deeper hum of larger platforms.

People must learn how to properly take cover when a drone is detected, understand basic neutralization techniques where applicable, and know how to prepare both physically and mentally for this emerging threat. Public readiness drills, educational campaigns in schools and workplaces, and clear civilian defense protocols are essential components of a comprehensive anti-drone strategy. The threat is real, it is growing, and public preparedness must match the urgency of the challenge.

The threat of drones and UAVs is already here. At the front line, the IDF's preparation is being carried out at an accelerated pace, and the threat has been recognized. However – this threat will reach the entire country, and we must prepare for it with a sense of urgency, and with real physical urgency, while allocating significant resources to the issue including appropriate manpower, massive public relations work, education for caution and familiarity with the threats.

We must also continue our offensive activity to neutralize the enemy and their platforms before they reach our territory.

Despite two years of war, we have still not changed the floppy disk, and we are somewhat living in the past, with a certain disregard for what is happening on the Russia-Ukraine border and with an incorrect feeling that this threat – which is available for purchase and training at negligible cost – will not reach us. But it will reach us, and we must be prepared.