The war between Russia and Ukraine wages on and could now be headed in a different direction. While tension heats up around the world around nuclear threats, Elon Musk pointed to a new type of warfare quickly emerging.
What Happened: Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk recently shared four things he thinks need to happen to bring peace to the Russia and Ukraine efforts. Later, Musk shared that nuclear missiles could destroy the U.S. and Europe and the world is at a higher risk of nuclear war.
While the global audience considers the possibility of World War 3, Musk is titling the current global tensions Drone War 1.
Musk shared a story about drones now being used to fight against Ukraine. The drones are being used by Russia and some are reportedly supplied by Iran.
“Russia’s unleashing of successive waves of the Iranian-made Shahed drones over Ukraine has multiple goals — taking out key targets, crushing morale, and ultimately draining the enemy’s war chest and weapons as they try to take them out,” the story said.
Iran denied it provided Russia with drones and said news reports are politically motivated.
Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine, was attacked by 28 drones on Monday according to the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko, a former professional boxer.
Musk has become more involved in the war efforts, providing Starlink for Ukraine and now attempting to play the role of peacekeeper between Russia and Ukraine.
The comment on Drone War 1 prompted many responses and one Twitter follower asked if Tesla would make drones.
“Should I make weapons? Ideally, not,” Musk replied.
The comment from Musk could prompt some comparisons to the Tony Stark character used in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies owned by Walt Disney Co. Musk was the inspiration for the Tony Stark portrayal by Robert Downey Jr. in the “Iron Man” movies. Musk made a cameo appearance in “Iron Man 2.”
Stark made weapons that were used for war in the comics and movies before eventually stopping to help war efforts.
Another Twitter user pointed out that Musk may have predicted Drone War 1 back in 2020.
“I think things are definitely going to go into autonomous or locally autonomous drone warfare is where it’s at, where the future will be,” Musk said in a video clip.
Musk added he didn’t want the future to be this but “it’s just what the future will be.”
Musk responded to the 2020 video shared with “easy prediction.”
Related Link: Iran Denies Giving Putin Drones Amid Reports It May Supply Missiles To Russia
Why It’s Important: Using drones in warfare can be a cheaper alternative for countries and given the technological advancements can also prove to cause more damage than just using missiles. The article shared by Musk lists a cost of $20,000 for each Shahed drone, compared to the $1 million cost of cruise missiles.
Drones being used to attack specific locations in Ukraine have been compared to kamikaze pilots from Japan in World War II that would target specific areas with aircraft filled with explosives.
Using drones could keep Russia from sacrificing the lives of additional soldiers and pilots and still do damage to Ukraine.
The technology of the drones and close GPS precision attack could also help Russia target more locations like infrastructure and utilities to weaken Ukraine.
While Russia is ramping up the usage of drones, reports said Ukraine may have used similar kamikaze drones to attack a Russian military base and other locations. Ukraine also has drones with laser-guided bombs to use and has gotten a commitment from the U.S. for 700 Switchblade drones, similar to kamikaze drones.
Both Russia and Ukraine have also used drones in scouting missions to locate troops, in many cases only losing a drone shot down instead of sacrificing soldiers' lives on similar missions.
The longer the war wages on and causes financial harm to Russia and Ukraine, drones and their cheaper cost could come even more into play.
Elsewhere, around the world, a covert drone strike was recently executed by Israel against Iran. The drone strike targeted a munitions factory in the city of Isfahan. The attack came as Iran has been providing Russia with drones to use in its military operations against Ukraine.
Originally published on Oct. 19, 2022 and updated.
Photo: Shutterstock
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