Why militaries well-equipped to fight enemy aircraft and missiles may still struggle to confront the drone threat Western militaries aren't as used to fighting the drone threat as they are aircraft and missiles. Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu via Getty Images Western militaries are preparing for a new threat in drones. Their air defense systems, while capable against drones, were primarily designed with different threats in mind. With drones in the mix, combating aerial bombardments is demanding new defensive setups. Western militaries are grappling with a growing drone threat their air-defense networks were not primarily built to handle: large numbers of small, low-flying, relatively cheap targets that can be difficult to detect, classify, and defeat cost-effectively. Many traditional air-defense systems were designed around combating aircraft and missiles, threats that are usually larger, faster, higher-flying, and more distinct than small drones.…