Ukraine says using AI robot guns to shoot down new Russian drones

Ukraine has begun using artificial intelligence-enabled robot guns to take down Russia's new and fast-moving jet-powered drones, the Ukrainian air force said Monday.

For months, Kyiv has been seeking a way to intercept the new Russian drones pounding the Ukrainian capital, even as it faces a dire lack of suitable ammunition to take them out.

Russia has been deploying newer jet-powered drones that move faster and are harder to intercept than the traditional models, which are based on Iranian Shahed drones.

As part of Ukraine's efforts to respond, "robotic turrets are now being installed on bridges", air force spokesman colonel Yuri Ignat told national television.

"There have already been shoot-downs" of the drones, including the bigger, faster and more powerful Geran-5 version, he told national television.

Speaking to AFP, Ignat explained that the new turrets, which have been seen by AFP journalists in the Ukrainian capital, use "optical vision and artificial intelligence to eliminate the human factor and deliver strikes".

Sergiy Beskrestnov, a technology adviser to the Ukrainian defence ministry, explained on Telegram over the weekend that the new automated turrets were "an innovative Ukrainian solution that shoots down (drones) using machine guns controlled by artificial intelligence".

He said that 12 of the turrets had been installed in Kyiv, adding that "more turrets will be installed in the future".

Ignat acknowledged that the new system had a small operating radius.

"It can operate at about one kilometre plus. And it works when conditions are favourable, when the attack approach angle is suitable," he told AFP.

"This is not some kind of panacea," he said, stressing that the turrets were part of "an integrated air defence system that provides engagement of these targets at different tiers".

"Of course we rely on all available assets."

Ukraine has been accelerating the integration of artificial intelligence into its defence capabilities, and is already using the technology on the frontlines to guide drones, detect targets for strikes and coordinate large-scale operations.