New York [US], September 27: Drone swarms controlled by artificial intelligence are opening a new chapter on the battlefield, with companies rolling out advanced software that allows swarms of unmanned weapons to coordinate attacks at once, thereby overwhelming and breaking down enemy defenses.
AI-controlled UAV/drone swarm
In the next phase of UAV warfare, UAV swarms use AI to coordinate actions with each other to attack enemy targets. The Financial Times on September 14 quoted Mr. Lorenz Meier, CEO of the defense technology startup Auterion (US - Germany), as saying that the birth of UAV swarm technology is "a very big moment".
The technology Auterion is introducing is an app called Nemyx, which turns individual UAVs into a coordinated swarm. With a simple app update, any UAV compatible with the system can quickly "join" the swarm.
The new software has yet to be deployed on the battlefield, but Auterion will deliver a total of 33,000 AI "attack kits" to Ukraine by the end of the year as part of a Pentagon contract. The kits can be upgraded with Nemyx software to deploy in swarms.
"[Militaries] all know that this technology will oversaturate their defense systems," said Meier, adding that everyone is talking about swarming UAVs, and everyone is worried about the impending reality.
UAV swarms allow a single soldier to control multiple UAVs at once, allowing for autonomous planning of attack strategies to attempt to ignite and overwhelm enemy defenses.
"The whole idea of a UAV swarm is that you amplify the power of the entire formation and rely on just one operator," said Gundbert Scherf, co-founder of the German defense company Helsing. According to Reuters, Helsing has just announced AI-controlled UAV swarm technology, developed in cooperation with German software company Systematic.
The first large-scale drone swarm tests began in 2016, with F-18 Hornet fighters releasing small UAVs mid-flight. The following year, China followed suit with large-scale drone swarm demonstrations.
Since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, a number of Ukrainian companies have developed and applied UAV swarm technology in real combat. Among them, the most prominent is Swarmer, a company based in the capital Kyiv, which said its technology has been used in 82,000 combat missions.
Reuters quoted Mr. Serhii Kupriienko, CEO and co-founder of Swarmer, comparing a swarm of intelligent UAVs to a "living organism", with UAVs communicating with each other, making their own decisions about flight paths and performing assigned tasks.
In a battlefield test last year, the Ukrainian military used Swarmer's software to help a swarm of UAVs approach a Russian target and decide when to attack.
"The main operating principle is automation and autonomy," said Kupriienko. UAV swarm technology "can react in real time to new orders and new priorities, as well as quickly react to changing situations and based on battlefield information that is constantly being fed into the system," he said.
In fact, militaries have used swarming tactics to great effect. For example, Russia has learned to attack targets in Ukraine in groups with long-range Shahed UAVs, overwhelming enemy air defenses and dramatically increasing the odds of hitting targets.
However, the latest software could dramatically increase the lethality of UAV attacks.
Previously, attacks were mainly UAVs that acted as signal relay stations, allowing to extend the attack range of a large UAV. Now, UAV swarms are equipped with the ability to self-learn and self-optimize tactics thanks to AI.
UAVs as weapons
In another development, Task and Purpose reported that the US Army's 75th Rangers Brigade is testing a one-way FPV (UAV equipped with a camera that transmits live images to the operator) carrying explosives to try to destroy tanks.
Weaponized FPVs are a tactic deployed in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with FPVs carrying explosives deployed short range to effectively destroy targets.
The tests show that the US military is accelerating the production of small UAVs, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally witnessed the power of the explosive-carrying FPV at Fort Benning (Georgia) in early September.
FPVs carrying explosives are all cheap, easily replaceable UAVs, while being powerful enough to destroy tanks worth 5-6 million USD.
Based on the results obtained, and if it is really positive, the US Army in the future may consider using UAVs to replace artillery in case of ammunition depletion on the battlefield.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper