US company’s AI lets Ukraine’s cheap kamikaze drones track targets on their own
$100 million deal gives 50,000 Ukrainian drones US-developed AI capabilities.
$100 million deal gives 50,000 Ukrainian drones US-developed AI capabilities.
The short version
- Ukrainian drone operators have destroyed many Russian armored vehicles on the ground and even military helicopters in midair using $400 Shrike drones with explosive payloads.
- Now thousands of such drones are getting upgraded with an AI system capable of autonomously tracking and homing in on moving targets.
- In mid-July, the Ukrainian military began receiving Shrike drones made by the Ukrainian company SkyFall equipped with AI-powered autonomy hardware and software developed by the US company Auterion.
What happened
The companies plan to deliver 50,000 drones equipped with Auterion’s Skynode S strike kits in the coming months. The operator can abort a strike or choose a different target as long as they have a radio signal connection with the drone, Meier explained.
Why it matters
But the drone can still automatically track and fly into targets without any human guidance, even if it loses its connection with the operator due to buildings or terrain blocking the signal or because of enemy jamming on the same radio frequencies.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.