Ukraine shows West must modernise warfare, says head of RAF

The head of the RAF has said that the war in Ukraine has been a “wake-up call” for the West in how future conflicts will be fought after troops used assets in space to take on Russian troops.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston said that space has been a “game-changer” on the battlefield, with the Ukrainians able to maintain their fighting edge by using space-based platforms controlled by both the military and commercial companies.

Defence sources pointed out that the Ukrainians have been able to use satellite imagery, both from companies such as Maxar and also from US space assets, to keep track of Russian movements of vehicles and troops throughout the conflict.

Ukrainian marines in the southern city of Mariupol who spent weeks trying to defend the Azovstal steel plant were also using Elon Musk’s Starlink dishes to connect to the internet and communicate with senior commanders outside the city.

In a speech at the Global Air & Space Chiefs’ Conference in central London today, Wigston said that massed armoured columns have been “annihilated” with the effective use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities fused from multiple sources including commercially available drones.

 “Space has been a game-changer too, at the heart of how the Ukrainians have maintained their fighting edge, using improvised space-based services from military and commercial sources.

“These approaches have been a revelation to those who chose not to see before Ukraine; a wake-up call for those happy to just do the current stuff a little bit better and think it will be enough”, he said.

Wigston added that the Russian Air Force “has shown what happens when you invest in modern technology but don’t invest in people”. He said it is unable to carry out complex missions or work effectively with troops on the ground, and relies on technology that does not work.

“Without those, you have little hope of decisive advantage and the swift success that brings”, he said. Ukrainian troops meanwhile have been able to demonstrate how rapid technological innovation along with “boundless imagination” can have an impact on the ground.

Ukraine is a “rallying call” for air and space chiefs, he continued, saying that it shows how they need to embrace technology and work together at speed to come up with battle-winning ideas.

The conflict has reinforced the fact that uninterrupted access to space is “vital” for operations on land or by sea, as is control of the air, he said.