MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. Work on the development of anti-drone systems and lasers could neutralize the effective use of drones, even if there are hundreds of thousands of them, Bekkhan Ozdoyev, industrial director of the state tech corporation Rostec’s Armament Cluster, board member of the Union of Russian Machine-Building Enterprises, told TASS in an interview dedicated to the World Defense Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia.
He noted that the current popular view that drones will become the primary means of warfare in the future, while traditional systems, including armored vehicles, can be discarded, is not unreasonable. However, Ozdoyev added, one cannot unequivocally assert that the future war will be exclusively a drone war. In his opinion, the proponents of this idea are attempting to draw general conclusions based on the specific experience of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
"We mustn’t forget that counter-drone systems are also evolving. Air defense systems will be improved, the number of interceptor drones will increase, and laser and electromagnetic countermeasure systems will be developed. This could negate the adversary’s ability to effectively use drones altogether, even if they have hundreds of thousands of them," Ozdoyev said.