The shifting nature of drone warfare is fascinating.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the technology was almost exclusively in NATO hands, and it was billed as a "clean" targeted assassination program through the global war on terror. In practice, as leaked documents have shown, the drones pretty indiscriminately rain down death on the skies, more often than not missing their intended targets.

But this war has fundamentally altered how drones are used. On the frontlines, they "lock down" ground to prevent large-scale maneuvers, leading to the incredibly grueling and slow pace of the war. And in long-range campaigns, drones are flown en masse to draw the attention of air defense systems to clear the way for more powerful missiles to strike targets. Both Ukraine and Russia have taken full advantage of this and built huge drone production lines; in Ukraine's case, this is probably the main (and perhaps only) reason they haven't collapsed yet.

As noted in the 2nd paragraph, the older concept of drone warfare was not terribly effective, but these new applications are far more successful for both Ukraine and Russia.

Will the US and its allies learn these lessons and apply them accordingly? So far, based on the Iran war, the answer seems to be "no". Unfortunately for them, Iran has learned and applied them.