Ukraine’s Saker drones are fully autonomous and can identify and neutralize threats without human oversight, as confirmed by the embattled country.
Ukrainian drones equipped with artificial intelligence technology identify threats and kill people without human oversight. These killer robots are the first example of autonomous weapons on the battlefield.
As per the New Scientist report (link—paywalled), these “Saker” scout drones can carry up to 3kg of explosives and have a range of roughly 12km. The autonomous modes for recon and attack allow them to utilize AI vision to recognize as many as 64 military vehicle types including tanks, personal carriers, and other types of military hardware to verify targets before striking. This process requires no human oversight or supervision.
Ukraine claims that the AI attack function has been successful so far. They also mention that they have only used these autonomous drones on a small scale so far.
The country confirmed the autonomous attacks on Russian forces and can operate even in areas with active radio jamming (that renders other types of drones inoperable by blocking communication between the drone and the command center).
The quadcopter UAV is a fairly new weapon, having just been introduced to the Ukrainian military last month. Loaded with explosives such as RKG-3 anti-tank grenades or RPG warheads, these drones can decimate the heaviest tanks on the battlefield.
Founded in 2021, the company Saker focuses on affordable AI for small businesses with solutions including AI vision for crop protection. The company became a military assistance service when Russia invaded.
The official website of Saker introduces the drone as an “open UAV drone platform with AI capabilities for autonomous missions.”
