Ukraine now uses AI-controlled drone swarms against Russian targets in military operations

A Ukrainian startup is supplying software that enables autonomous drone strikes, fundamentally changing how warfare is conducted and raising ethical questions about the use of artificial intelligence on the battlefield.

Ukraine now routinely deploys AI-controlled drone swarms against Russian targets, according to a report published by the Wall Street Journal. After a human operator marks the area to be attacked, the drones coordinate among themselves to determine the timing and method of the strike. Analysts view this as the first consistent use of swarm technology in combat.

In a typical mission, a reconnaissance drone maps a route to a Russian position, followed by two additional drones carrying explosives. The drones collectively decide which one will carry out the attack and when, operating without ongoing human intervention. The system, developed by Ukrainian software company Swarmer, allows drones to work as a team and adapt to changing conditions.

Autonomous coordination among drones

The software connects multiple drones in a network, enabling them to share tasks. If one drone becomes inoperable, others automatically take over its objectives. The human operator only selects the target area and authorizes an attack once a target is identified; all further coordination is handled autonomously. Ukrainian sources report that the system has already seen action in over a hundred missions, typically involving three to eight drones, but it has also been tested with up to 25.