Cheap Drones, Deadly Wars: How Drones Are Reshaping Warfare, with Professor Sarah Kreps

Drones have gone from a specialized tool of warfare to an indispensable feature of the modern battlefield. From Ukraine and Russia deploying millions of drones to Iran using inexpensive Shahed systems against far more sophisticated adversaries, cheap and disposable weapons are changing the economics of war.

A’ndre sits down with Dr. Sarah Kreps, Professor of Government at Cornell University and a former U.S. Air Force officer, to break down how drone warfare has evolved — and where it is headed next. Sarah explains how the United States went from pioneering modern drone warfare during the War on Terror to playing catch-up as Ukraine, Russia, Iran, and others rapidly innovate and produce drones at scale.

A’ndre and Sarah discuss Ukraine’s extraordinary wartime innovation cycle, Russia’s adaptation on the battlefield, and how Iran and its partners have used drones to threaten U.S. forces, infrastructure, and global shipping. They also examine whether America’s defense industrial base can produce cheap drones at sufficient scale, what China and Taiwan are learning from today’s conflicts, and whether the Pentagon could replicate Ukraine’s rapid innovation during a major war.

The conversation closes with the growing intersection of drones, artificial intelligence, and autonomy — including what “human in the loop” actually means and whether AI-enabled warfare necessarily creates new risks or amplifies longstanding problems with intelligence and targeting.

Topics: Drone Warfare • Ukraine • Russia • Iran • Shahed Drones • U.S. Military • Defense Innovation • Defense Industrial Base • China • Taiwan • AI • Autonomous Weapons • Future of Warfare