Swarms of cheap drones are taking on one of the world’s most sophisticated air defence systems. It’s not clear whether these attacks in Yemen have been successful, but home-made drone swarms targeting highly advanced military technology is a trend that is likely to grow.
The defences in question are US-made PAC-3 Patriot systems. They can bring down ballistic missiles, jets and helicopters by firing 300-kilogram missiles at speeds of up to five times the speed of sound. The systems are used by South Korea, Israel, and various …