AI Targeting Systems Boost Accuracy of Ukrainian Frontline Drones
Ukrainian frontline drone operators say artificial intelligence is becoming critical to keeping strike missions on target as electronic warfare intensifies along the contact line.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Reuters.
Operating in the Kharkiv region, a drone pilot known by the call sign Mex recalled a recent mission in which he struck what appeared to be a Russian tank at a distance of around 20 kilometres. Without AI-assisted targeting, he said, the hit would likely have been impossible.
“Without additional guidance we wouldn’t have reached it – absolutely no way,” said the 31-year-old member of the 58th Separate Rifle Brigade.
Nearly four years into the full-scale invasion, both Russia and Ukraine have scaled up drone production to millions of units annually.
The battlefield has since become saturated with jamming systems designed to sever the link between pilots and their aircraft, causing thousands of drones to crash prematurely.
The new generation of Ukrainian drones used in the strike can continue their trajectory autonomously even after losing signal. The onboard system identifies and locks onto visual targets through its camera feed and then adjusts course without operator contact.
The same technology is believed to be in use on the Russian side, prompting international debate over the role of AI in warfare. Binding global rules on autonomous weapons remain largely absent, while Kyiv has stated repeatedly that any decision to strike must remain in human hands.
Ukrainian officials say dozens of AI-enabled guidance modules are now in circulation, with some integrated into thousands of drones. Developers caution, however, that software still reacts differently depending on weather, visibility and electromagnetic interference.
According to Mex, the onboard model is trained to recognise vehicle types based on extensive image data – from cars and trucks to motorcycles. Even if he sets an approximate waypoint several kilometres away, he said, the system can refine the approach and zero in once the target is visually captured.
As The Gaze reported earlier, in Ukraine, leading Danish defense company Terma A/S tested its AI technologies for detecting enemy drones, integrating them with Ukrainian air defense systems.
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