I'm disinclined to think that they knew all along, but, definitely, a closer attention toward Karabakh war in 2020, where drones were first used in a frontwide manner, could have brought much use. Well, some military analytics are wise (note the date of this publication that recommended with a remarkable tenacity against invasion: Feb 3, 2022), and some are otherwise. And any war of such a scale is a great example of evolution in action.