Masayuki Sasaki
Fire-support systems are struggling to keep pace with modern maneuver. Ground forces move quickly to survive, but artillery and aviation often cannot reposition fast enough to match that speed. Artillery delivers strong effects, yet its firing signatures are detected quickly, and counter-battery fire often arrives before guns can relocate.
Attack helicopters were once expected to provide mobile firepower. Still, conflicts like Ukraine show that low-altitude helicopters are routinely engaged by Man-Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS) and drone-enabled targeting. Several Russian Ka-52 helicopters were shot down while operating at low altitude, demonstrating that even advanced platforms cannot survive if they stay visible too long.
Small drones help identify targets, but they cannot carry significant payloads or operate reliably in harsh weather or mitigate the effects of electronic warfare. These limitations leave a structural gap between what ground forces need—fast, mobile fire—and what current systems can safely deliver. Flying Artillery (FA) focuses on time advantage rather than platform sophistication to close that gap.
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