Examining the changes at the asymmetric warfare strategies, resulted from the usage of unmanned aerial systems, in the light of indirect approach

This study aims to reveal the effects of unmanned aerial vehicles on states' combat strategies in asymmetric wars and to provide a perspective for understanding future war dynamics. Asymmetric wars, which became a universal phenomenon after the Second World War, proliferated globally and became the dominant form of war with the end of the Cold War. Since these types of wars and conflicts are based on the basic principles of identifying the enemy's weak points with maneuvering abilities and attacking at the most unexpected moments, it is possible to discuss them within the framework of the Indirect Approach, which argues that the war should be conducted with similar principles. Air power is one of the most critical tools used by states against the asymmetric strategies of non-state actors. Air power, which can penetrate and put pressure on the entire operational area with its speed, maneuverability, and reach capabilities has thus allowed state actors to influence their opponents more quickly from safer distances. However, as air power developed, asymmetric actors also changed their strategies and tactics, turning asymmetric wars into a more difficult and costly form of struggle for state actors. In such a period, unmanned aerial vehicles emerged as a new weapon platform that has reached conceptual and technological maturity. To apply air power as required by asymmetric wars and conflicts, they have been included in the battlefield instead of large and expensive manned aircraft that previously performed similar tasks. Instead of jet-engined combat aircraft that fly at high speeds and have relatively limited airborne stays, these vehicles can fly slower but can perform missions by staying in the air for long periods, and are more suitable for the slow, patient, and dangerous tasks of asymmetric wars and conflicts. They adapted well and managed to restore the advantage of air power to state actors. This study aims to answer the question of how the use of unmanned aerial vehicle systems in asymmetric wars has affected the combat tactics and strategies of the warring parties by focusing on two comparative cases, the Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War.