Page 34 - ADT AUG - OCT 2024 Digital Magazine | GBP

HOW SWARM TACTICS AND MODERN
TECHNOLOGY ARE RESHAPING THE BATTLEFIELD
By YULIAN ARDIANSYAH
hroughout the history
of warfare, tactics and
T strategies have continually
evolved to adapt to new threats
and technological advancements.
One constant, however, is the
role of asymmetric warfare where
smaller, less-equipped forces
challenge larger, more technologi- For centuries, battleships were
cally advanced opponents through
unconventional means. Today, the
principles of asymmetric warfare
are more relevant than ever, as
swarming tactics and inexpensive,
agile technologies offer new ways
to overwhelm even the most sophis- – especially – aircraft during World
ticated military forces.
This evolution is perhaps best
exemplified by the decline of the
battleship as the dominant naval
power in the 20th century, a trend
echoed today in discussions about
the potential obsolescence of main
battle tanks (MBTs). As history has
shown, large, heavily armoured
platforms may be increasingly
vulnerable in the face of new tech- history highlighted the principle of
nologies designed to overwhelm
them through sheer numbers and
speed.
This article will briefly explore
the historical implementations of
34 | AUGUST - OCTOBER 2024
asymmetric warfare, the technolog- primary tools of naval warfare, the
ical advancements driving modern battleship’s era ended, making way
swarming tactics, and how these for more versatile, lightly armoured,
strategies could spell the end for and fast-moving warships designed
traditional military juggernauts, such for a new type of conflict.
as battleships in the past and MBTs
in the present.
Swarm Tactics Are In
The Inevitable Decline Moving into the 21st century, asym-
metric warfare has continued to
evolve, with swarm tactics becom-
the crown jewels of naval warfare: ing a dominant theme on both
massive floating fortresses bristling land and sea. Swarming involves
with heavy artillery, designed to deploying large numbers of smaller,
dominate the seas through brute cheaper, and faster units to over-
force. However, the deployment of whelm a more heavily defended or
fast torpedo boats, submarines, and larger target. This concept applies
across all domains of warfare
War II marked the beginning of the – whether it’s a swarm of small
end for battleships. In particular, drones attacking a convoy, fast
the infamous sinking of HMS Prince
of Wales and HMS Repulse by missile boats or unmanned surface
Japanese aircraft in 1941 demon- vessels (USVs) harassing a larger
strated that even the most powerful ship, or guerrilla fighters employing
ships could be rendered obso- hit-and-run tactics against superior
lete by a swarm of smaller, faster land forces.
attackers.
In naval warfare, fast mis-
sile-equipped craft, USV swarms,
This pivotal moment in naval and aerial drones now challenge
traditional warships. A notable
asymmetric warfare: that smaller, example is the sinking of the
more manoeuvrable forces, when Russian patrol ship Sergey Kotov
deployed in large numbers or with on 5 March 2024, which was struck
advanced technology, can outmatch by several Ukrainian USVs. This
heavily armoured units. As aircraft attack demonstrated how low-cost,
and, later, missiles became the agile technologies could overwhelm
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