Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi shows why artillery still matters in a drone fight

Ukraine's Operation Vivaldi, a major counteroffensive push to retake territory in the east, is showing that even as drones transform the battlefield, artillery remains an important tool for holding gains and keeping the enemy off balance.

Ukrainian forces had recaptured 176 square kilometers of territory by the end of September, according to the Third Army Corps, the lead unit.

The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, wrote on Friday that reports indicate that Ukrainian forces "heavily relied on artillery strikes in order to prevent Russian forces from regaining lost positions during Operation Vivaldi."

The ISW assessment cited an update from the Third Army Corps that said it had, for the purpose of executing this operation, "assembled one of the largest artillery formations of any corps — deploying so many systems per kilometer of the front that fire could be maintained continuously, even if individual guns were knocked out."

Drones worked with artillery to find targets that the artillery then destroyed, the unit said. "The artillery deprived the enemy of the ability to maneuver or return fire, allowing the Third Corps' assault troops to keep pushing forward."

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The Third Army Corps said strikes by Ukrainian HIMARS, the US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, destroyed more than 20 artillery guns, two Buk air defense systems, and two transport-loading vehicles, and also struck Russian command posts that were at the battalion level or higher.

In July, Mykhailo Fedorov, then-Ukraine's defense minister, said that drones accounted for around 95% of Russia's front-line losses.

The success of drones has sparked debate in the West over what drones mean for more traditional weaponry like tanks and artillery. The latter appears to still have a part to play.

Western analysts say artillery remains vital, especially when employed alongside a growing drone arsenal.

Ben Jarvis, the UK's minister of state for security, said in June that "there are some who hold the view that we should trade everything in the locker for drones. I understand the temptation, but there are important distinctions to make."

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