Ukraine to Deploy First-Ever Drone Wall to Intercept Russian Attacks

French company Atreyd will soon deploy Ukraine's first “drone wall” to protect cities and critical infrastructure from Russian attacking UAVs.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to Business Insider.

The Atreyd system consists of dozens of small combat drones that take off from ground launch platforms and form a “curtain” in the sky — a kind of minefield that detonates near enemy ammunition, neutralizing it or causing debris to deflect. 

Its primary task is to counter barrage drones such as the Shahed and gliding bombs that are difficult to intercept with traditional air defense systems.

The system is controlled by artificial intelligence, which adapts the configuration of the “wall” to the trajectory of the threat, and is capable of operating in the absence of GPS thanks to a preloaded 3D map of the area. 

The drones can operate at high altitudes and have identification capabilities to reduce the risk of friendly fire, and unexploded devices can be returned for reuse to reduce the cost of interception.

Atreyd claims that the system has shown 100% success in tests, but in Ukraine it will be the first test in real combat conditions. Deployment will take place on an ongoing basis with the possibility of expansion to other locations.

The company has reportedly established production in France and Ukraine and has contracts with at least one NATO member. The founder adds that the technology is designed as a last line of defense and does not require high qualifications from the operator — one soldier can be enough to control a hundred drones.

Notably, Ukraine became the first country in the world to regularly use swarms of drones with artificial intelligence on the battlefield. These systems are created by Ukrainian startup Swarmer, which specializes in autonomous combat drones and develops software to coordinate the actions of devices within a swarm.

Swarmer systems allow drones to coordinate their actions after launch and make decisions without constant operator control. They independently select targets, adapt to changes during the mission, such as battery depletion, and act collectively. 

Typically, only three operators are involved in a mission instead of nine, and one pilot can control several drones at the same time. Currently, combat operations are mainly carried out by small groups of 3-8 drones, but Swarmer is preparing to test large swarms consisting of 100 or more devices. 

The Ukrainian company's innovations are attracting the attention of global investors. 

The Gaze previously reported that American funds invested $15 million in the startup Swarmer, which is one of the largest private investments in a Ukrainian defense technology company since the start of the war. 

The investment will allow the implementation of swarm functionality for each drone and scale their use without limiting the number of operators.

Read more on The Gaze: Swarm Strategy: The Future of Deterrence in Eastern Europe