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Ukraine Uses Autonomous Drone Swarm Against Russian Forces - Militarnyi [militarnyi.com]:

Ukrainian troops have used a swarm of drones controlled by an artificial intelligence system against the Russian invaders.

This was reported [wsj.com] by The Wall Street Journal [wsj.com].

According to the newspaper, a group of three Ukrainian drones recently approached Russian positions under the cover of darkness and independently determined the moment to launch a strike.

The swarm technology opens a new stage in drone warfare, as it allows dozens or even thousands of drones to be used simultaneously. According to a high-ranking Ukrainian officer and representatives of a software company, Ukraine has already used swarm attacks on the battlefield for most of the past year.

Analysts emphasize that these hitherto non-public operations were the first known example of the regular use of swarm technology in warfare, which underscores Ukraine’s leadership in this area.

Ukrainian drones equipped with swarm AI technology. Photo credits: WSJ

At the same time, the use of artificial intelligence on the battlefield raises ethical concerns that machines can make decisions about the life and death of military and civilians.

The recent attack used technology [militarnyi.com] from Swarmer, whose software allows for the coordination of groups of drones. According to its representatives, tests will soon take place using a swarm of 100 drones.

Ukrainian forces first used Swarmer technology to lay mines about a year ago. Subsequently, it was used to target Russian military, equipment and infrastructure.

An anonymous Ukrainian Armed Forces officer said that his unit had used the system more than a hundred times, and that other units had also received drones with the software.

Ukrainian drones equipped with swarm AI technology. Photo credits: WSJ

It typically uses Swarmer with three vehicles, although there are reports of cases of use with eight. Kuprienko, a company spokesman, said the software has been successfully tested with groups of up to 25 drones.

According to the officer, a standard operation involves the use of one reconnaissance drone and two strike drones armed with small bombs to hit a Russian trench. The operator sets the area to search for targets and gives the command to attack once they are found.

The reconnaissance drone lays out a route for the strike vehicles, and the strike vehicles determine the time and order of the munitions drop.

Original Submission