Ukraine creates an AI-powered drone that can identify targets without the need for a pilot, making them harder to intercept
Ukraine is developing AI-based drones that can track Russian targets from further away and be more resistant to electronic countermeasures as it attempts to boost its military capabilities as the war rages on.
Deputy Defense Minister Kateryna Chernohorenko said Kiev is developing a new system that can autonomously distinguish, hunt and attack its targets from a distance.
This would make it harder to shoot down or jam the drones, she said, and would reduce the threat of retaliatory attacks to drone pilots.
‘Our drones must become more effective and be guided to the target without operators.
‘It has to be based on visual navigation. We also call it ‘last-mile targeting’, tuning in to 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 £200 million into supplying military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) quality to Ukraine.
The package – which accounts for around a fifth of Ukraine’s total investment in developing drones for frontline use – will see Britain order thousands of FPV drones for Ukraine, many of which will be produced by British manufacturers.
A devastating fire is seen following a Ukrainian kamikaze drone attack on an oil depot in Klintsy, Russia’s Bryansk region
A pilot practices with a drone at 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 factory is targeted by a Ukrainian drone attack in Tatarstan, more than 900 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border
A Ukrainian military pilot of an FPV drone during a combat flight with an accumulative payload on the front line near Bakhmut
Unmanned weapons systems have already proven extremely effective in attacking key Russian targets.
Marine drones have sunk several warships in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and in recent weeks Kiev has successfully deployed long-range drones to attack infrastructure hundreds of miles behind the Russian border.
But AI-based drones could prove even deadlier – and be especially effective for short- to medium-range attacks on Russian armor, artillery and troop camps on Ukrainian territory or just behind the border.
AI-powered drones can capture and process real-time information from cameras and sensors.
They can interpret visual information, detect and recognize objects, patterns and anomalies and therefore navigate autonomously to a specific goal.
Chernohorenko said that these autonomous weapon systems (AWS) would be launched by the human operator and guided to the front line, but would then identify their target from over a mile away.
From there, the drone would switch to autopilot, increasing accuracy and minimizing risk to the human operator.
In theory, AI-powered drones could also work in sync and operate like a beehive to enclose and swarm adversaries.
But there are concerns about the fallibility of AI targeting systems making life or death decisions without human supervision.
This led the House of Lords AI in Weapon Systems Committee to warn the UK government to proceed with caution in developing AI-based drones and urged it to provide an operational definition of ‘advanced weapons systems’ to develop.
A Ukrainian military pilot of an FPV drone while attaching an explosive to an FPV drone on the front line near Bakhmut on October 24, 2023 in Bakhmut
A Ukrainian FPV (first-person view) drone operator trains not 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 consequences
Ukrainian drone operator demonstrates flying a long-range UAV
Images of the explosive effect of a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian tank on the front line
“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 advantages. ”Ambitious, safe and responsible” must be translated into practical implementation” the report said.
‘The committee has heard that the Ministry of Defense procurement suffers from a lack of accountability and is too bureaucratic. It further heard that the Ministry of Defense lacks capacity in software and data, both of which are central to the development of AI. This may require revolutionary change,” the report 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 said at least six fighter jets had been destroyed and another eight damaged after a drone attack on several Russian airfields.
Launching one of the largest nighttime attacks in weeks, Ukraine fired more than 50 drones into Russian territory, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
One of the targets was the Engels-2 base in the 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 the Morozovsk military airport, the scene 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 strike on Russia last week, attacking airfields and destroying at least six fighter jets, Kiev said. Pictured: A man is seen standing next to a burning building in the aftermath of the overnight attacks
In the distance an explosion can be seen during the Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia
A security source in Kiev told 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 “another eight were severely damaged.”
“This is an important special operation that will significantly reduce the Russians’ combat potential,” the source said, adding that the attack was carried out by the SBU security service and the army.
About 20 Russian personnel were killed or injured, it was claimed.
Frontline bombers – Su-24, Su-24M and Su-34 – are known to be routinely based at the airfield.
They were used to attack Ukraine during the war.
According to OSINT reports, approximately 26 Su-34 fighters and three Su-35 fighters were stationed at the airbase on April 4.
It has been reported that the SBU secret service was behind the kamikaze drone attack together with the Ukrainian armed forces.
“The results of the joint special operation are stunning: at least six Russian military aircraft were destroyed and another eight suffered significant damage,” a source told RBC Ukraine.
If confirmed, this would be one of the biggest blows of the war to Vladimir Putin’s air force.
There was no immediate response from Russia and the AFP news agency said it could not verify the claims.
Russia said 44 of the 53 drones targeted the southern region of Rostov, which lies just across the border from Ukraine and is home to a number of major military sites, including the command headquarters for the offensive.
“During the night and morning of April 5, the Kiev regime attempted several terrorist attacks using aerial drones, but these were foiled,” the Defense Ministry said.