AI-powered drone swarms are capable of significantly changing the situation on the battlefield, with various companies already starting to release advanced software that will make attacks by such drones even more deadly, writes Financial Times.
The new technology in the form of an app can turn individual drones into a single coordinated force, with any compatible drone able to join the swarm through a simple update. Auterion CEO, who develops software for drones, Lorenz Meier told reporters that the emergence of such weapons will be a "turning point."
Drone swarms allow one operator to control multiple UAVs at once. This enables the use of more sophisticated attack strategies that can overwhelm enemy defenses.
"The whole idea of swarms is that you multiply force. You use only one person," said Helsing co-founder Gundbert Scherf, noting that thanks to coordination, drones will be able to "learn on the go."
The new software has not yet been used on the battlefield. Nevertheless, the company plans to deliver 33,000 of its "strike systems" designed for AI drones to Ukraine by the end of 2025 under a Pentagon contract.
The publication notes that only Ukrainian companies have access to the secret Universal Military Dataset of combat drones.