The future of the battlefield is remote control of UAVs and full autonomy of drones. This was stated by the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov in an interview with RBC-Ukraine. According to him, the Ukrainian state is investing in autonomous systems so that operators can control drones not from the front line, but from any corner of the country.
The future of the battlefield is remote control of UAVs and full autonomy of drones. This was stated by the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov in an interview with RBC-Ukraine. According to him, the Ukrainian state is investing in autonomous systems so that operators can control drones not from the front line, but from any corner of the country.
As RBC-Ukraine notes, a new initiative, BraveTech EU, was presented as part of the Conference on the Restoration of Ukraine in Rome. The goal is to enable European military-tech startups to test their solutions in the combat conditions of Ukraine, as projects within Brave1 already do. At the initial stage, Ukraine and the EU invested 50 million euros in the program.
BraveTech EU expects not only the exchange of technologies, but also the creation of joint products, including: drones with a high level of autonomy, electronic warfare systems, interceptors to combat «Shaheds» and means of countering new types of Russian threats. Brave1 is already implementing a grant program to implement AI in controlling FPV drones, targeting, and decoding satellite images.
Fedorov stressed that the new systems should reduce risks for operators. Their task will be only to set coordinates and control missions from a distance. This is especially important in conditions when the Russian troops have created a unit called «Rubicon» that hunts Ukrainian UAV operators.
Further localized production of drones is also planned. Ukrainian companies have already reached the level where some models consist entirely of Ukrainian components, while others are 50–80% localized. This reduces dependence on Chinese suppliers and promotes technological sovereignty.
The Brave1 platform, launched in 2023, has already awarded startups over UAH 2.2 billion in grants. It has implemented a system of motivating units through «e-points» that can be exchanged for drones, electronic warfare, and other equipment. Brave1 also currently has a mechanism for verifying hit targets, which allows collecting detailed combat data for management decisions by the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff.
We previously wrote about how the Brave1 defense cluster initiated the development of anti-drone rounds that significantly increase the military’s chances of hitting a moving target. The manufacturer has already codified this development according to NATO standards.
