Why a drone rush needs more than numbers

Does a mass drone rush keep working after its first surprise?

Numbers alone do not settle the question: drones must contend with improving defences, and future strikes are expected to combine several types of weapon.

Drones are expected to evolve as defenders learn to jam them or destroy them with shotguns and automatic cannon. Future strikes could combine drones with cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, and aircraft dropping unguided bombs. Warships already carry electronic countermeasures, so attackers must account for those defences. The discussion attributes part of the vulnerability to cheap drones to decisions to reduce gun armament while anticipating lasers or concentrating on expensive missile threats. Italian ships provide the example of retaining substantial gun defences.