Sticks replaced fists, spears replaced sticks, swords replaced spears, and guns replaced swords.
Modern drones have the potential to replace guns as the primary weapon employed in wars, but these weapons suffer from many issues. The most obvious of these issues is the time these things can remain airborne. Modern wars feature battles that remain continuous for weeks to months on end, but most military drones only can remain airborne for a few minutes. Stacking this issue on top of the vulnerability these weapons have to winds, storms, and explosives, and these weapons can quickly become entirely useless for long-term use.
Another major problem is range and size. Modern gun drones don’t have a lot of range if they’re not built big. However, that requirement of these weapons just leaves them increasingly exposed to getting shot down. It’s not just firepower either that makes these weapons vulnerable. Any positive changes in the flight duration, maximum altitude, speed, and the capabilities of any individual drone will see a subsequent increase in a drone’s size.
With enough investment, these weapons should be able to overcome most of these problems and be the thing that replaces the gun. However, these weapons currently are only useful for niche purposes in wars than a true successor to humanity’s primary weapon of choice.
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