Ukraine tests drones that can operate together in the sky

Ukraine’s defense industry is working on creating “swarms” of interceptor drones to more effectively protect the territory from massive Russian air attacks.

This is stated in the Business Insider article.

This is a new stage in the development of such drones, which over the past year have become one of the priorities for Ukraine’s defense due to their low cost and the possibility of large-scale production.

The state-owned platform Brave1 reported that several companies are working on swarm technology. This involves the ability to control multiple drones by a single operator — both nearby and remotely — as well as the interaction of the drones themselves with each other during flight.

Currently, the model closest to practical application is one where one operator controls several drones.

Typically, one operator controls only one such drone. Its cost can be around $1,200, while Russian drones cost from $10,000 to $100,000, depending on the type.

Amid increasing Russian air attacks, these drones have become an important part of Ukraine’s air defense system. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine can already produce at least 2,000 of these drones every day.

This is especially important as Russia regularly attacks Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, sometimes using hundreds of drones in a single night. For example, nearly a thousand drones were recently launched in a single day.

Brave1 notes that work on the “swarms” is ongoing – various components are being tested that should work together in the future. Among them are communication, navigation, target detection, and guidance systems.

At the same time, the manufacturing company Wild Hornets believes that full-fledged drone swarms are still a distant prospect, and current algorithms are not yet effective enough for combat.

The main goal is to increase the effectiveness of interception so that one drone can destroy one target. At the same time, in some cases it is advisable to launch multiple interceptors at once, especially during massive attacks.

Brave1 also emphasizes that they strive to create a system with maximum autonomy, but maintain human participation in decision-making to reduce the burden on operators.

The success of Ukrainian interceptor drones has already caught the attention of the United States and its allies, which are looking for cheaper ways to counter the growing drone threat without using expensive missiles.

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