Ukraine is creating an AI-powered drone that will identify targets without the need for a pilot, making it harder to intercept
Ukraine is developing AI-enabled drones that can lock onto Russian targets further away and be more resistant to electronic countermeasures in efforts to boost its military capabilities as the war rages on.
Deputy Defense Minister Kateryna Chernohorenko said Kyiv is developing a new system that can autonomously distinguish, hunt and hit its targets from a distance.
This would make the drones harder to shoot down or block, she said, and would reduce the threat of retaliatory strikes to drone pilots.
‘Our drones must be more efficient and should be directed towards the target without any operators.
‘It should be based on visual navigation. We also call it “last-mile targeting,” searching for the image,” she said The telegraph.
It comes less than two months after Britain’s defense secretary announced the creation of a drone coalition that will see Britain, Latvia and other western governments pour £200m into providing military-grade unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine .
The package – which represents around a fifth of Ukraine’s total investment in the development of drones for frontline use – will see the UK order thousands of FPV drones for Ukraine, many of which will be produced by British manufacturers.
A devastating fire is seen after a Ukrainian kamikaze drone attack on an oil depot in Klintsy, in Russia’s Bryansk region
A pilot practices with a drone on a training ground in the Kiev region on February 29, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine
A long-range UAV is seen moments before it crashes into a Russian factory in Tatarstan
A Russian plant is targeted in a Ukrainian drone strike on Tatarstan, more than 600 miles from the Russian-Ukrainian border
A Ukrainian military pilot of an FPV drone during a combat flight with an accumulating charge at the front line near Bakhmut
Unmanned weapon systems have already proven extremely effective at hitting key Russian targets.
Naval drones have sunk several warships in Russia’s Black Sea fleet, and in recent weeks Kyiv has successfully deployed long-range drones to attack infrastructure hundreds of kilometers behind Russia’s border.
But AI-enabled drones could prove even more lethal — and especially effective for short-to-medium-range attacks on Russian armor, artillery and troop camps on Ukrainian soil or just across the border.
AI-powered drones can capture and process real-time intelligence obtained from cameras and sensors.
They can interpret visual information, detect and recognize objects, patterns and anomalies and as a result are able to navigate autonomously towards a given target.
Chernohorenko said that these autonomous weapons systems (AWS) would be launched and guided towards the front line by its human operator, but would then identify their target from over a kilometer away.
From there, the drone would switch to autopilot, increasing accuracy and minimizing risk to its human operator.
In theory, AI-enabled drones could also work in sync, acting as a hive mind to lock on and swarm opponents.
But there are concerns about the fallibility of AI targeting systems to make life-or-death decisions without human supervision.
This prompted the House of Lords AI in Weapon Systems Committee to warn the UK government that it must proceed with caution in the development of AI-enabled drones and urged it to develop an operational definition of ‘advanced weapon systems’.
A Ukrainian military pilot of an FPV drone while placing an explosive device on an FPV drone at the front line near Bakhmut on October 24, 2023 in Bakhmut
A Ukrainian FPV (first-person view) drone operator did not go far from the front line in the Donetsk region on November 16, 2023
Consumer drones have been adapted to drop grenades and small bombs on enemy infantry and armored vehicles with devastating effect
Ukrainian drone operator demonstrates piloting a long-range UAV
Footage of the explosive effect of a Ukrainian drone attack on a front-line Russian tank
‘The government must approach the development and use of AI in AWS in a way that is ethical and legal, while providing important strategic and battlefield benefits. ”Ambitious, secure and responsible” must be translated into practical implementation,’ the report said.
“The committee heard that the Ministry of Defence’s procurement suffers from a lack of accountability and is far too bureaucratic. It also heard that the Ministry of Defense lacks capacity in relation to software and data, both of which are central to the development of AI. This may require revolutionary change,” it concluded.
Defense sources quoted by The Telegraph said the British government would not be involved in developing autonomous advanced drones for Ukraine.
Last week, Ukrainian officials declared that at least six warplanes were destroyed, with eight more damaged after a drone attack on several Russian airports.
Ukraine launched one of its largest overnight strikes in weeks, firing more than 50 drones into Russian territory, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry.
Among the targets was the Engels-2 base in southern Rostov region, home to Putin’s prized Tu-95 and Tu-22 nuclear bombers.
More than 60 explosions were heard in the Rostov region as Russian air defenses repelled an attack on Morozovsk military airfield, the site of the heaviest attack.
There were more than ten explosions at a military airbase in Yeisk, Krasnodar region, local Telegram channels reported.
Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on Russia last week, targeting airfields and destroying at least six warplanes, Kiev said. Pictured: A man is seen standing next to a burning building in the aftermath of the night’s attack
An explosion is seen in the distance during the Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia
A security source in Kiev told the French news agency AFP that an attack on the Morozovsk air base in Russia’s southern Rostov region had destroyed at least six Russian planes and “a further eight were heavily damaged”.
‘This is an important special operation which will significantly reduce the combat potential of the Russians,’ the source said, adding that the attack was carried out by the SBU security service and the military.
About 20 Russian people were killed or wounded, it was claimed.
Frontline bombers – Su-24, Su-24M and Su-34 – are known to be routinely based at the airfield.
They have been used to attack Ukraine during the war.
As of April 4, about 26 Su-34 fighters and three Su-35 warplanes were stationed at the air base, according to OSINT reports.
It has been reported that the SBU intelligence service was behind the kamikaze drone attack along with the Ukrainian armed forces.
“The results of the joint special operation are astonishing – at least six Russian military aircraft were destroyed and another eight received significant damage,” a source told RBC Ukraine.
If confirmed, it would be one of the biggest blows of the war against Vladimir Putin’s air force.
There was no immediate response from Russia, and the AFP news agency said it had been unable to verify the claims.
Russia said 44 of the 53 drones targeted the southern Rostov region, which is just across the border from Ukraine and is home to a number of major military sites, including its command headquarters for the offensive.
“During the night and morning of April 5, the Kyiv regime attempted to commit several terrorist attacks using aerial drones, which were thwarted,” the Defense Ministry said.