Drones are a common sight on the battlefields of Ukraine, but they are normally controlled by human pilots Frank Herrmann/Getty Images.
Fully autonomous drones with no human oversight have killed soldiers on the battlefield for the first time.
This is according to a senior figure in the Ukrainian defence industry, marking a watershed moment in warfare.
“There is no connection to the drone at all, you cannot see the video, nothing… Everything it sees will be killed.”.
While there is no recording of the automated drones attacking these targets, it was concluded that the drones had killed them.
But Ukraine’s current rules will forbid fully autonomous operation and demand humans verify targets in the final stages of interception.
Even in that mode, the entire battery of 64 drones will require just two human operators, meaning it will dramatically reduce personnel. »