The Ukraine War Is Still Relatively Low-Tech — for Now
Both sides are using all kinds of 21st-century equipment, but old-school meat-grinder fighting is still deciding the direction of the war.
Replaying Verdun in the 21st century.
Photographer: Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
If you believe that software is eating the world, the war in Ukraine seems incomprehensibly low-tech. In many areas, it looks barely distinguishable from World War I-style trench warfare, and Ukraine’s repeated requests for more artillery and tanks suggest a reliance on World War II-era warfighting methods.
Tanks “seem a bit… old school. Seems like lite, mobile, gps/drone/sat targeting items are dominating these days. Am I missing something? Are tanks still superior when backed up, like carriers are backed up in a fleet?” computer game industry pioneer Richard Garriott tweeted recently. Elon Musk, another tech leading light, replied that “tanks are a deathtrap now. With neither side having air superiority, you’re left with infantry & artillery – essentially WW1.”