AI-Powered 'drone swarms' officially enter the battlefield

Ukraine has deployed AI-powered drone swarms for a year, the first routine combat use of this technology. Developed by local company Swarmer, the software enables up to eight drones to autonomously coordinate, identifying and striking Russian targets. “You set the target and the drones do the rest,” said Swarmer’s CEO, Serhii Kupriienko. A Ukrainian officer reported over 100 missions targeting soldiers, equipment, and infrastructure, beginning with mine-laying operations.

In these missions, a reconnaissance drone maps routes, guiding two bomb-carrying drones that decide which unit strikes. Three-person teams—planner, operator, and navigator—control operations, down from nine without the software.