Future Warfare: Ukraine Ushers in the Era of AI-Powered Killer Robots

The military invasion that Russia unleashed in Ukraine February 24, 2022 led the country’s forces to seek multiple means to defend their territory .

Although President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked his Western allies for resources to counter Russian attacks, His troops also had to resort to new military technologies to counter the offensive. .

In this sense, Drones have acquired a fundamental role in warfare .

Several local companies have dedicated themselves to manufacturing of armament which includes parts that can be purchased at hardware and commercial stores . Some devices even use handheld video game controllers and consoles for their operation.

One of the most significant points is that Their cost is low – a few thousand dollars or less – compared to other systems. more advanced military.

But he also points out that its manufacturers have used technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to make them more efficient .

A column produced by New York Times tells how Some of these drones can fly autonomously to pursue their targets .

This is possible because They have software that analyzes the images captured by their cameras of video.

In this way, heSystems can identify patterns and track targets which has been fixed.

This is just one type of weapon that has been seen in wartime. that Russia has unleashed on Ukraine.

Another automated device they used is a unit developed by Roboneers a local business.

It is about a land drone similar in size to an ATV, but with a turret on its surface which is transported by all-terrain wheels.

After setting a goal, Soldiers simply press buttons on a remote control to make it fire. .

The commander of one of the Ukrainian battalions, Oleksandr Yabchanka, told the aforementioned media: When they used this copy in their unit, they saw effective results fight Russian troops.

Companies that have dedicated themselves to the construction of war objects have increased since the launch of the Kremlin offensive .

That’s why Today, different types of drones are built, varying in size, functions and capabilities as well as in their value and the spaces in which they can operate. .

The main goal is that they can contain enemy forces and prevent them from advancing further at the front.

All this, in the midst of a scenario in which resources have been exhausted and in which more than two years have already passed since the beginning of the war.

From the American newspaper, they detail that more than a dozen contractors, engineers and military units They proposed that in the near future we may see devices capable of coordinating and carrying out attacks autonomously. .

In fact, in one of these interviews it was stated that They are developing an unmanned helicopter that uses machine guns to shoot down targets .

Throughout the war, Some of the devices that have gained popularity among Ukrainian troops are first-person view drones. (FPV, for its acronym in English).

These are guided remotely by pilots who They use glasses similar to those of virtual reality to be seen from the point of view of the artifact, as its name suggests.

They stand out because They can perform everything from offensive tasks to other reconnaissance and surveillance tasks. .

In addition, have considerably lower values than other weapons.

To get an idea, according to the figures saved by The economist , Unguided artillery shells cost between $800 and $9,000, while GPS-guided ones cost around $100,000. .

For his part, A Javelin anti-tank missile is worth about twice as much than this last figure.

Instead, A simple FPV drone can cost around $400. .

As reported by the Times, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said: In 2023, they began their efforts to automate FPV but faced delays due to programming problems with the flight control software.

However, he confirmed that they had managed to resolve them and thatThere are currently about a dozen companies dedicated to building autonomous drones specifically. .

“We need maximum automation (…) These technologies are fundamental to our victory. “, stressed the representative of the said portfolio.

However, despite the usefulness of these elements for both attack and strategic tasks, various analysts have suggested that Its role, at least so far, is rather complementary to other traditional tools. .

“What is powerful is the combined firepower of artillery and drones” stressed a Ukrainian commander who introduced himself as “Achilles” in a conversation with The Economist.

The international analyst and academic from the University of Valparaíso, Guillermo Holzmann, explained to La Tercera that Today, they are mainly used for specific missions and operations, and not for developing strategies based solely on them. .

“That’s to say, If they want to destroy enemy artillery, they send them to achieve that goal. but not in the concept of war (drones as such). In other words, they say: “First we use drones, then we do this, etc.”

As new advancements develop in the field of drones, President Zelensky continued to stress to his Western allies the importance of providing resources and weapons. to face Russian attacks.

Indeed, at the beginning of August 2024, He welcomed the arrival of the F-16 aircraft to continue their defense work, but stressed that the number they have or the number of pilots ready to use them is still not sufficient. .

“The positive is that we are expecting additional F-16s” and “a lot of guys are training now” stressed the president, who described the delivery of these examples as the beginning of a “new stage of development” for its aviation.