Ukraine is showing the West why cheap sensors could be key to defending the skies in future wars

Cheap sensors are allowing Ukraine to detect incoming drone threats and are inspiring the West.

Maksym Kishka/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC "UA:PBC"/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images

Ukraine is showing the West why cheap sensors could be important for air defense in future wars, defense officials told Business Insider.Western militaries have advanced sensors built to detect incoming missiles and fighter jets, but drone warfare has exposed capability gaps requiring new kinds of sensors.Sir John Stringer, NATO's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told Business Insider that "for defensive air defense purposes, we need to get back to investing in the range of sensors that we need.""Some of those are most definitely novel for many Western nations," he said. The West needs "things like very cheap acoustic sensors" — microphone-based systems that listen for drones — "and we've seen the lay down in Ukraine on that," alongside the more advanced sensors.Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has made drones a daily battlefield threat, and Western militaries are studying how to fight and defend in that kind of threat environment.

Drones move differently in the air than crewed aircraft and missiles do.