Ukraine Scales Up Its AI-Powered Drones: From Small to Large
Ukraine’s recent drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and military bases have dominated newspapers in the past couple of months. Even more intriguing is the fact that these drones are powered by AI technology.
Ukrainians employ a diverse array of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) models tailored to specific tasks, ranging from small and affordable FPV drones, equipped with machine vision, to larger machines with over 1000 km range, complete with advanced communication and navigation systems.
A recent “rising star” model for long-range machines is a drone named “Liutyi” (Fury), which has begun frequent appearances over Russian territories since March 2024. Evidently, it employs AI-powered technologies for navigation and targeting.
The use of even a fundamental form of AI, referred to as machine vision, enables a drone to be pre-programmed to map the terrain along its flight path before deployment in the field. Consequently, the drone operates autonomously without reliance on satellite communication. This technology makes the drones insensitive to Russian electronic warfare systems, which can disrupt GPS signals and thus divert drones off their intended course.
The drone can change its flight direction instantly by comparing what it sees in front with the map stored in its computer. Similarly, it locates and targets specific objects within the territory of the oil refinery.
The drone’s advanced guidance system and precise strikes, landing within a few meters of the target, are visually evident. It accurately identifies not only the ground coordinates of the refinery’s processing columns but also selects the correct height for striking.
“They have this thing called ‘machine vision,’ which is a form of AI. Basically you take a model and you have it on a chip and you train this model to identify geography and the target it is navigating to. When it is finally deployed, it is able to identify where it is.” according to Noah Sylvia, a research analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, a UK-based think tank.
However, the drone “Liutyi” isn’t the only one Ukraine uses. Several other models utilize machine vision. It seems these technologies are actively evolving, with several Western allies of Ukraine providing assistance. Testing systems in real battlefield conditions offers a significant competitive edge, enabling companies to enhance and refine their products.
Here are some examples of Western allies helping Ukraine with AI-powered systems to enhance UAV capabilities:
Helsing Partnership
Recently, a German tech firm, Helsing, announced that it will assist in integrating AI into Ukrainian-made drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles. Helsing has partnered with Skyeton, a highly esteemed Ukrainian UAV manufacturer with a battle-proven product.
Founded in 2021, Helsing is developing AI-based capabilities for the European military. In June 2023, the German government selected Helsing and its partner, Saab, to provide new AI-enabled electronic warfare capabilities for the upcoming update of the Eurofighter.
Takever from Portugal
The Portuguese venture-backed drone manufacturer Tekever has also provided some of its long-endurance systems to Kyiv to support land and maritime operations.
In a recent announcement, Tekever disclosed that it employs AI to enhance guidance, navigation, and control capabilities, as well as target detection, recognition, and identification for its systems, particularly for long-range missions.
Warmate from Poland
Poland supplied its Warmate drones to Ukraine back in 2022. Since then, the drones have undergone numerous modifications and improvements. Machine vision integrated into Warmate drones supports automatic target tracking.
Not long ago, visuals were released confirming a successful attack by Warmate loitering munition on a multi-million-dollar Russian TOR-M1 air defense system. The footage captured by Warmate sensors documents the critical moments when Russian forces attempted to counter the assault by firing a missile at the drone, but their efforts proved futile as the missile missed its target.
The examples mentioned above are just a couple of recent instances of technological advancements in UAVs that are publicly available. However, there is a wide array of AI-powered defense and military technologies beyond UAVs that have not yet been publicly released. Developing AI capabilities in the defense sector is crucial for national security. It is highly probable that we will witness more similar technological solutions in the near future.
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