Ministry of Defense and Brave1 tested AI-guided drones: six manufacturers received recommendations for procurement
Drone Industry
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the Brave1 defense innovation cluster conducted a large-scale test of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with modules for automatic guidance against moving ground targets.
This was reported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, according to Censor.NET.
Such testing is necessary, in particular, to procure the most effective solutions for the Ukrainian Defense Forces as quickly as possible.
Autonomous guidance for drones is already in use on the battlefield and needs to be scaled up. Since the beginning of the year, the number of hits achieved using AI-guided strikes has increased tenfold. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense and Brave1 adhere to ethical principles regarding the use of AI in defense. Artificial intelligence helps increase the effectiveness of strikes against the enemy, but the decision to use it is made by a human.
How the tests of AI-guided drones were conducted
- Seven companies that develop autonomous drone solutions tested their products. According to the scenario, each drone had to fly 2 kilometers, detect and lock onto a moving target (lightly armored vehicle) from a distance of at least 500 meters, and strike it in fully autonomous mode—with the pilot taking their hands off the remote control.
- The tests involved multirotor platforms larger than 10 inches with a payload of at least 2 kg. Each team was allowed up to three attempts. A mission was considered successful if the target was hit at least twice out of three attempts.
Six manufacturers received recommendations for procurement
This is the first large-scale testing of automatic guidance technology based on a single scenario and clear criteria. Six out of seven manufacturers successfully passed the tests and received recommendations for procurement.
The Ministry of Defense and Brave1 are continuing to work together to strengthen the Defense Forces’ technological advantage on the battlefield, specifically by maximizing the deployment of AI- and computer vision-based automatic guidance technology within the military.
As a reminder, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces are already using more than 70 models of various systems based on artificial intelligence and computer vision technologies to engage enemy targets.
