Finland, Poland adapt military tactics as drone warfare redefines battlefield

As the Ukraine war continues to reshape modern warfare, NATO allies Finland and Poland are actively rethinking their military strategies, placing a sharp focus on drone technology and battlefield mobility. 

Military leaders from both countries, speaking to Business Insider during the Lively Sabre 25 exercise in southern Finland, emphasised how uncrewed systems are transforming the way wars are fought, Caliber.Az reports.

Col. Matti Honko, commanding officer of Finland's Guard Jaeger Regiment, said one of the key lessons drawn from the war in Ukraine is the heightened transparency of the modern battlefield, enabled by drones, satellites, and advanced surveillance.

"Building up forces has become much more challenging. Large troop concentrations now have to be assembled on the move," Honko explained, underlining the importance of dispersal and agility in current Finnish military training.

With drones constantly buzzing overhead, Finnish soldiers are being trained to respond swiftly to potential threats. 

"Whenever you hear a drone, you cannot know if it's your own or not. So you cannot be sure, because you cannot distinguish it from the sound," Honko said. "It means that you start what I would call: immediate air-cover procedures. You find shelter, you try to disperse yourselves, you try to avoid being detected."

He noted that counter-drone measures and other defensive tactics are also part of the evolving training, though they are not yet fully incorporated into standard drills.

Cpl. Jimi Järnberg, a member of the Finnish Army’s Pori Brigade, described drones as highly effective tools for gathering intelligence without risking lives. However, he acknowledged the dangers of their weaponisation, a trend that has become a hallmark of the war in Ukraine.

This form of warfare — using inexpensive commercial quadcopters to drop explosives — has become a common and deadly tactic. Reports from Ukraine suggest drones now account for up to 80 per cent of Russian front-line losses, surpassing even artillery in lethality.

Finland is not the only NATO ally taking notice.

Poland is also accelerating its drone development program. Brig. Gen. Michal Strzelecki, commander of Poland's 6th Airborne Brigade, said his forces are closely monitoring developments in Ukraine and testing new technologies.

"We are in the early phase of that," he said. "We are trying to follow everything that is happening behind the border, like what the Ukrainians are doing."

Strzelecki acknowledged the rapid pace of innovation, which makes it difficult to keep up: "The war in Ukraine shows the significant role of the lower-level drones. That's something we are developing right now. We are training people how to operate them and waiting to implement the best version of that which will be the most suitable for our unit."

During Lively Sabre, Polish troops used drones in various operations. Capt. Bartosz Januszewski highlighted the Israeli-made Orbiter reconnaissance drone currently in service, but said efforts are underway to introduce smaller, quadcopter-style drones for both reconnaissance and strike missions.

While Poland had already recognised the importance of drone warfare before the Ukraine conflict, the ongoing war has heightened urgency and solidified its strategic direction.

By Sabina Mammadli