"Then, as ... hobbyist drones and consumer electronics improved, a second style of military drone appeared...And it caught the world’s attention in Ukraine in 2022, when it proved itself capable of holding back one of the most formidable militaries on the planet."

I'm not sure I buy that thesis.

You can't see Ukraine effectively holding back the Russian army and see in depth the mini failings of the Russian army and still claim there one of the most formidable militaries on the planet.

I think you have to realize that they are just not that formidable and so defeating them isn't necessarily the result of some game changer any more than saying the Talibans defeat of Afghani forces with some sort of game changer because rebels defeated the government army.