Advertising Weapons and the War in Ukraine

​As the above and below advertisements from the War in the Falklands (1982) indicate, wartime is considered by some to be an ideal time to test the usefulness of old weapon systems and try out new ones. It is also a chance for companies to gain market share in the lucrative billion-dollar global arms trade.
 
And that is what is now taking place in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Images taken from Lawrence Freedman, Atlas of Global Strategy: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age (1985).

One of the little-known elements of a protracted war is the opportunity for weapons to be tested, customers acquired, and systems sold. In short, wars are considered by some to be an ideal testing ground for products to be tried in real wartime conditions.
 
The “winners” may be those who sell older systems that have proven themselves yet again. Or the “winners” may be companies with new and innovative weapons systems that make previous ones obsolete. As for who is right or who is wrong in the conflict is not the concern of such companies – what is most important is how the conflict can be leveraged to gain market share and increase dividends to share holders.
 
And the war in Ukraine is turning into such a weapons manufactures’ paradise. There are a host of new weapon systems being tried out on the battlefield – drones, missiles, jamming systems, AI applications, communications systems, counter-weapon systems, and so on – that are transforming how modern wars are being fought. Nations are watching and waiting to see which weapons systems are the future, and companies are vying to make sure their products are just what those nations are looking for.
 
Sadly, this is the way of every war.
 
But what one can hope for, pray for, and advocate for is that the war in Ukraine is not prolonged by those who are merely seeking more time to test their new and improved products.