Ukraine has signed an agreement with US firm Swift Beat to massively scale up production of AI-powered drones. Finalized in Denmark, the deal will see hundreds of thousands of AI-controlled drones delivered to Ukraine at cost by 2025, with more to follow in 2026. President Volodymyr Zelensky and Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO and now head of Swift Beat, attended the signing.
Swift Beat is developing interceptor drones for Russian threats, reconnaissance models, and medium-weight combat drones, along with AI-driven tools like automated turrets and surveillance platforms. Testing happens in Ukraine with teams from both sides.
Schmidt, a vocal advocate for the strategic use of artificial intelligence, has long pushed for deploying cutting-edge AI in defense and security, seeing it as critical for maintaining an edge in modern conflict.
