Small Drones and Battlefield Transparency: Isr-Strike Integration in Modern Military Operations

The article examines the influence of unmanned strike systems and video-audio surveillance technologies on military operations at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Drawing on recent conflict analysis — particularly the Russo-Ukrainian war — and on a qualitative case study conducted during the joint combined-arms exercise Cadet 2025, organized by the Nicolae Bălcescu Land Forces Academy of Sibiu, the research argues that small drone platforms equipped with integrated video-audio sensors have fundamentally reconfigured the ISR-to-strike chain. The study demonstrates that such systems accelerate the decision-making cycle, enhance battlefield transparency, and extend organic reconnaissance capabilities to the lowest tactical echelons. A key finding is the functional interdependence between surveillance and strike: the same platform can sequentially observe, identify, transmit, support command decisions, and engage priority targets. The article further analyses differentiated effects across multiple branches — infantry, artillery, reconnaissance, engineers, armour, CBRN, logistics, and mountain troops — an analytical angle underrepresented in existing literature. At the strategic level, mass drone employment reshapes perceptions of information superiority and operational cost. The conclusions underscore that doctrinal, organizational, and educational adaptation is not optional but essential for future military effectiveness.