New Jackal Battle Drone Could Give Ukraine a Huge Edge

Taking a page from the playbook of Ukraine’s pioneering defenders, the UK’s Royal Air Force has developed a lethal, rocket-firing drone that’s sure to make life hell for the Russians.

Let’s take a look at how this new drone differs from the consumer drones currently flying in Ukraine and how it could replace full-sized helicopter ops soon.

Are traditional attack helicopters obsolete?

The US Army seems to think so — they just canceled two massive rotor-wing programs: the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft, better known as FARA, and the UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter upgrade — after spending $2 billion on them.

So, what could cause the US military’s largest branch to change course mid-development and flush $2 billion of taxpayer money down the commode?

The Ukraine War has changed the calculus.

Drones are here to stay.

These little game-changers have come a long way from the Global War on Terror and US Predator drones.

At the bleeding edge of this technology is the Royal Air Force’s Jackal drone, a bit of military innovation sculpted by the demands of real-world combat operations in Ukraine.

And it might be the first step in replacing modern crewed attack helicopters like the AH-64 Apache.

The Jackal is the brainchild of the RAF’s Rapid Capabilities Office. The UK collaborated with Turkish…