It is making it clear that, in the coming decades, classic tanks are going to lose much of their prominence in armed conflicts. They will take their place.
In , the British Government’s Strategic Defense Review estimates that 80% of lethality on future battlefields will come from drones and autonomous systems, while only 20% will correspond to traditional platforms such as the Challenger 3, Ajax and attack helicopters.
Hamish de Bretton-Gordon He was part of the British Army for 23 years and was commander of the Joint Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Regiment of the United Kingdom and the NATO Rapid Reaction Battalion. The military expert has published an article in in which he has contributed his point of view about how the progressive replacement of tanks by drones will occur.
Firstly, Hamish de Bretton-Gordon has called for caution, making it clear that “Reducing our ability to conduct armored maneuver warfare would undermine one of the fundamental pillars of ground combat.”a principle that has been maintained since the First World War and, possibly, long before.”
The former commander of the British Army has acknowledged that he is going to say goodbye to the large tank battalions that have been so characteristic of the wars fought until now. “The era of massive armored formations manned entirely by soldiers is undoubtedly coming to an end”he stated.
“In their place will emerge a smaller number of highly capable and digitally connected platforms, such as Challenger 3 and Ajax, that will direct and integrate a battlefield in which drones and autonomous systems will represent the vast majority of combat power,” said Hamish de Bretton-Gordon.
