June 09, 2025

‘Spider’s Web’ Warning: The U.S. Must Prioritize Drone Defense to Avoid Russia’s Fate

By: Stacie Pettyjohn and Molly Campbell

With a single, coordinated attack, Ukraine has crippled at least a dozen Russian aircraft – including around 10 percent of Russia’s bomber fleet – using only small drones.

This drone ambush should trigger alarm bells for the US military. Like Russia, the United States is unprepared to meet the growing threat of small commercial drones.

This attack is wake-up call for US military: its counter-drone efforts are inadequate and are not keeping pace with the threat.

The audacious Ukrainian “Spider’s Web” operation was 18 months in the making. Operatives with the Security Service of Ukraine smuggled 117 first-person view (FPV) quadcopters into Russia, transporting them in crates and driving them thousands of miles in semi-trucks. On the day of the attack, the trucks stationed in a handful of locations in different parts of Russia released swarms of the small, fast drones, guided by goggle-clad pilots to crash into parked AT-50 airborne warning aircraft, and Tu-95 and Tu-22M bombers.

Ukraine has launched regular long-range drone strikes into Russia since 2023, but none of them have caused as much damage as the June 1 attacks.

Read the full article on Breaking Defense.

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