Are drones making 155 mm artillery obsolete?

BLUF: Drones have edged out artillery on the battlefield. But the 155 caliber still boasts several advantages, and both can be more effective when working together.

Lawmakers threw their support behind a bill establishing a 45-day exemption from mobilization for defense industry workers who still need to complete their military registration to begin their jobs. 

Amid heightened fears of Russian interference after the GPS signal of Ursula von der Leyen's plane was jammed, military technologies like the CRPA antenna, an analog of the Russian Kometa, could provide a solution for protecting civilian aviation.

And the military software codification issue might finally be resolved as a result of an initiative led by Techosystem, a union of tech representatives.

THE BIG STORY: How drones eclipsed 155 mm artillery on the battlefield

An ammunition shortage in late 2023 forced Ukraine to rely on drones instead of artillery, and FPV drones quickly became a cheap alternative to destroying Russian targets on a large scale.

Artillery, once dubbed the ‘God of War’ (a Stalin nickname) or ‘King of Battle,’ (the U.S. Army’s analog) for its crucial role in combat, has itself become a main target. Operators now guide attack drones to strike artillery in the rear.

Ukraine and its Western allies have ramped up production of ammunition of all types, including 155 mm caliber, the main caliber of NATO countries, and the ammunition shortage is now over. 

But drones have already dethroned artillery, and they are now being produced in the millions. More importantly, new developments like autonomous drones and drone swarms present unprecedented capabilities, raising the question of whether there’s still a place for large-caliber artillery in modern warfare. 

How the use of artillery has changed throughout the war

Russia’s approach to artillery — a doctrine inherited from Soviet times — involves mass deployment and scorched earth tactics. Accuracy is less important than mass destruction, wiping out fortifications and entire buildings.

Western doctrine, on the other hand, focuses on precision. 

The Ukrainian military, still ridding itself of its Soviet past, is in the process of transforming its approaches. Ukraine’s arsenal includes not only Soviet systems, but also Western ones, like Archer (Sweden), M109 and M777 (the U.S.), Caesar (France), and many others.

The Ukrainian military can deliver precise strikes on Russian targets with high accuracy thanks to drones and software like Kropyva, which provides terrain orientation and fire calculation in an easier way than using manual techniques.

"Now every artillery unit has its own strikers and reconnaissance [units]," an artilleryman who fought using an M109 self-propelled howitzer told Counteroffensive.Pro, speaking on the condition of anonymity. These units can find and strike targets on their own, without the help of other units.

The use of artillery has also changed from deploying 2–3 batteries together to deploying individual systems, Vitalii Korniienko, chief of artillery of the 13th Khartiia Brigade, told Counteroffensive.Pro.

The number of systems has been reduced because of enemy reconnaissance drones constantly monitoring the battlefield. And thanks to drones, operators can now track the effects of impacts with high accuracy.

The advantages of drones

At the height of the ammunition shortage, drones allowed continued strikes on Russian targets. Unlike when using artillery ammunition, drone operators can change trajectory and hit a moving target. An FPV drone can even fly into a tank hatch, Ruslan Berehovii, CEO of Vitrolom, a producer of FPV drones and heavy bombers, told Counteroffensive.Pro.

Another advantage of FPVs is their affordability compared to artillery ammunition. An FPV drone, even with fiber optics, will cost around $1,300-1,500, while a 155mm shell costs from $3,000 to $8,000.

The impact of drones on logistics has also been transformative. Military personnel can no longer transport ammunition with specialized transport and in commercial quantities due to the threat of drones. 

Instead, pickup trucks are now the leading transporter of ammunition. One pickup can take up to 17–18 shells with fuses, according to a former M109 operator. In offensive operations, this is very little, he said.

Artillery has ultimately been forced to adapt by becoming more mobile and autonomous. The fewer self-propelled guns at a given position, the harder it will be for the enemy to detect and strike them.

The advantages of heavy artillery 

A regular FPV drone on a 10-inch frame carries a warhead of several kilograms. A 155 mm artillery shell weighs 55 kg, of which 7-10 kg will be explosives.

FPV drones are thus still no match for artillery ammunition in terms of firepower, though some heavy bombers appearing on the battlefield are capable of carrying 155 mm ammunition.

Artillery is irreplaceable when it comes to repelling mechanized assaults, masses of infantry, and creating mass fire on targets. FPV drones are mostly controlled on the principle of one operator, one drone. Artillery has more crew and a significantly higher speed.

And artillery is now returning to its roots and striking enemy fortified areas, said Berehovii.

Artillery can launch dozens of ammunition pieces one after another while slightly changing the firing azimuth to destroy the entire square. Moreover, the flight speed of the 155 caliber is faster than that of drones. In one minute, an artillery unit can fire 5-6 shots, whereas an FPV drone operator can only take off at irregular intervals.

And, importantly, artillery shells are not susceptible to electronic warfare. In Russia’s Kursk region, for example, EW systems were so widely used that some drones were useless, making artillery the only alternative, according to the M109 artillerist. 

What is the future of 155 mm artillery?

155 mm artillery has, at a minimum, these advantages over drones:

Protecting artillery systems is still an important issue, and currently, there is no universal solution against drones, Korniienko and Beregovyi agreed. 

It’s crucial to keep in mind that:

Artillery still occupies a vital place on the modern battlefield. But the reality is that drones account for 85 percent of all fire strikes on the front, Oleksandr Kamyshin, presidential advisor on strategic issues, said in an interview.

It’s clear that 155 mm artillery shells will stay in the army's arsenal, unlike 152 or 122 mm Soviet calibers, Korniienko said.

BUSINESS LUNCH TOPICS: What our reporting shows!

The topic of Russian interference is in the spotlight after a plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, suffered a disruption last week while landing at a Bulgarian airport.

After its GPS signal was lost, at least one report said pilots had to use paper maps to land, and Russian electronic interference has been named as the primary suspect. 

The incident raises a deeper question: How can Russian electronic interference be countered to protect civilian aircraft?

Aviation uses GPS to help pilots navigate in the air. But the GPS signal can be disrupted by the creation of numerous radio waves on a specific frequency. GPS for navigation typically operates in the 1575 MHz range. 

This means the Russians could have tuned their electronic warfare systems to this frequency and flooded the airwaves with radio waves.

"Creating a dome over an airport to protect against electronic warfare is essentially impossible," a Ukrainian electronic warfare manufacturer told Counteroffensive.Pro, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 

Moreover, it’s not so much the airport that would need to be protected, but the communication systems on the aircraft. 

One potential solution could involve developing an analog of Russia’s Kometa, a jamming-resistant CRPA antenna that handles signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System, said the EW maker.

In this case, electronic warfare wouldn't interfere with GPS because Kometa would be ordered to ignore signals from the ground and stick to the signal directly from satellites.

Military technologies can be adapted to protect civilian aviation from electronic warfare threats. Russia has been jamming GPS for several years now, especially over the Baltic States and over Poland.

MPs supported draft law №13335 in the first reading, paving the way to the creation of a temporary deferment from mobilization for defense industry workers who are still in the process of straightening out their military registration documents before they can begin work.

The deferment would last 45 days, which should be enough time to register with military authorities, pass medical examinations, and sign up for the Reserve+ application. Temporary deferment can only be granted once per year.

"One of the goals of the draft law is the ‘conditional mobilization’ of specialists to defense enterprises. Many professionals currently don't go to work there because they don't have up-to-date military documents," MP Halyna Yanchenko, one of the initiators of the draft law, told Counteroffensive.Pro.

Up until now, a person could not be granted a deferment to work at a defense enterprise without updated military documents. Because of this, potential engineers could be mobilized by territorial recruitment centers.

Deputies have two weeks to prepare changes before the second reading. After that, the Verkovna Rada’s relevant committee is expected to support it, and then it will be passed for the second reading, according to Yanchenko’s assistant. 

An initiative to develop a military software codification system is finally making progress. This will enable the integration of Ukrainian companies’ developments into the standardized framework of the defense sector. Read more about the establishment of the working group in our previous newsletter.

Codification will help to:

The main changes will improve the integration of innovations into the military sector, Iden Radoshevskyi, Project Manager at Techosystem, told Counteroffensive.Pro. A transparent software evaluation process will be introduced, along with clear rules for technology export and usage.

Technological sport has taken off in Ukraine. This new sport combines training in drone piloting, ground robotics, laser tag, and other military technologies. Its goal is to help young people acquire technological and engineering skills that will remain essential even after the war. The Technological Sport Federation is already preparing programs for youth sports in schools, with the first ones expected to open by the end of the year.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports supports the development of this field, which also got a boost recently at technological sports competitions. While some of the events are funded from the state budget, the majority rely on partners and sponsors, Artur Bulygin, president of the Technological Sport Federation, told Counteroffensive.Pro. In the future, the federation plans to operate exclusively on sponsorship funding.

Participants in the tournaments include not only civilians but also military personnel, for whom such events provide a platform for exchanging experience and engaging directly with manufacturers. In addition to national competitions, the organization plans to host its first international tournament this year.

Ukrainian orders/legislation we’re tracking: 

By: Oksana Zabolotna

Increasing the state budget reserve fund

Law №13439-3 from 14.07.2025

Why it’s important: 

The changes proposed in the draft legislation would reallocate resources to priority areas such as healthcare, education, social support for veterans and internally displaced persons, and investment in innovation, including in defense technologies. Regular financing of military tech is a key factor in achieving technological superiority on the battlefield. 

Proposals:

Stage: The law was adopted on August 20, 2025, but has not yet been signed by the president.

Initiator: Yuliia Hryshyna and Oleh Bondarenko from the Servant of the People faction. This bill duplicates an alternative bill (№13439) developed by the government.

What’s next: The law will take effect after the president signs it and the legislation is published.

ON THE MOVE: Professional movement, promotions and industry news.

Know someone in the defense tech space who has made a professional move? Drop us a line at [email protected]!

30 SECOND ELEVATOR PITCH:

Vitrolom is a developer of drones and autonomous software based on AI. The startup is producing a wide range of drones, from FPV to heavy bombers. 

Now they are looking for investments for further development of the autonomy module. It will be able to find, recognize, and hit targets without communication with the operator. The drone targets and then returns to the base.

“The pilot will only enter basic data in the applications and set up parameters for the mission. Then everything will go fully autonomous. We are raising $150,000 in investment to finish the development of the autonomous module,” said Ruslan Berehovii, CEO and co-founder of Vitrolom.

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CORRECTION:

Counteroffensive.Pro made a mistake in the original version of the article regarding the cost of a drone. A fully-equipped FPV drone costs approximately $1,300-1,500. We apologize for the error.

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