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.
This approach reduces the required personnel per strike from nine to just three: a planner, a navigator, and a drone pilot. For Ukraine, which is at a manpower disadvantage, this represents a major strategic advantage. Direct communication between drones makes enemy jamming attempts less effective.
While military experts say these deployments do not yet represent full-scale swarms—defined as hundreds of drones acting in concert—the current technology already stands out for its level of autonomous cooperation. Even a limited degree of self-organization among drones is seen as a notable advancement in military technology.
