The development of early aircraft provides an analogy for changing drone defenses. Maxim-type machine guns are described as highly effective anti-aircraft weapons in 1915 and 1916, before improvements in aircraft reduced that advantage. One participant expects drones to follow a similar path toward greater resistance to current counters. The reply is that doing so would make them larger and more expensive. References to Maxim guns still being used in Ukraine reinforce the point that an old weapon can remain relevant against a suitable target.
Notable Point · 4:08:25-4:09:24
Drone development and the early history of anti-aircraft guns
The analogy with early aircraft raises a tradeoff: drones that outgrow simple gun defenses may also lose some of their size and cost advantages.