Ukrainian startup Strategy Force Solutions said its GOGOL-M AI-powered drones, which are carried by two smaller drones, have carried out the first autonomous missions to strike the occupiers. They cost tens of times less than missile attacks.
Ukrainian startup Strategy Force Solutions said its GOGOL-M AI-powered drones, which are carried by two smaller drones, have carried out the first autonomous missions to strike the occupiers. They cost tens of times less than missile attacks.
«A $10,000 mission replaces what previously required $3-5 million worth of missile systems,» Strategy Force Solutions CTO Andriy told Forbes.
GOGOL-M is a reusable mother UAV that delivers two FPV strike drones to engage high-precision targets at ranges of up to 300 kilometers. Such technology can have a major impact on vulnerable targets such as parked aircraft, air defense facilities, or infrastructure far from the front line. According to Andriy, the combination of FPV drones with mother UAVs with artificial intelligence ensures the accuracy of such strikes.
StratForce’s key product is the SmartPilot system, which uses a combination of advanced sensors and artificial intelligence.
«In a way, it’s like a driverless car. In order for the autopilot to work properly, it needs a lot of cameras. There aren’t many obstacles in the air, but we wanted the system to be lightweight. So we came up with a system of cameras, LIDAR, and communication that allows the artificial intelligence to navigate, coordinate, and maneuver around obstacles,» the developer notes.
LIDAR builds a 3D map of the terrain and works in all lighting and weather conditions. Another key feature of SmartPilot is artificial intelligence, which combines data from multiple sensors.
«SmartPilot uses a multi-sensor fusion approach, combining data for environmental perception and target recognition,» says Andriy.
This picture allows artificial intelligence to make decisions, plot a flight path, and carry out a mission, just like a human pilot does.
«With SmartPilot, it was a really serious challenge — how to simulate the flight of a drone as if it were being remotely controlled by a pilot. How to maneuver around obstacles, taking into account processor limitations and in real time,» said a representative of Strategy Force Solutions.
According to him, SmartPilot can carry out missions autonomously, finding its way to a specified location and striking targets there.
During the mission, GOGOL-M flies to the target, releases two FPV drones with a lightweight version of the Smart Pilot, and returns to base. During this time, the FPV drones search for and engage their targets, or land and go into ambush mode.
For example, they could be left behind by a convoy, ready to attack on their own when it appears. This drone tactic is already widely used.
«It’s like a video game. I just set points, select targets, and see how it works,» quotes Andriy, one of the Ukrainian military personnel who tested GOGOL-M.
Another noted that the drone’s operation looks impressive from the control center, and he would only like to get a drone with a range of 500 kilometers and a larger warhead.
Andriy said that currently StatForce can produce 50 basic GOLGOL-M drones per month and 400 attack FPV drones, but this will depend on receiving contracts from the Ministry of Defense.
The Strategy Force Solutions product was noted by the head of the Ministry of Digital Affairs, Mykhailo Fedorov. «Drones based on artificial intelligence are already operating on the battlefield. The Ukrainian defense cluster Brave1 has created a new technological AI solution that increases the effectiveness and accuracy of strikes against the enemy,» he wrote .
Earlier, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation hinted at the development of drone-related technology that could become a «game changer» in the war with Russia .
«Thanks to this, the number of new defense tech developments is growing every day, and a new secret technology is already in the works, which is also related to drones. This is a new game changer in technological warfare that will change the course of hostilities. And the faster we scale defense innovation, the more advantage we will gain on the battlefield,» the Ministry of Digital Affairs noted.
In addition to SmartPilot, the Strategy Force Solutions website mentions another similar system, MAFKA. According to the developers, it is a system with innovative artificial intelligence algorithms that allows drones to «independently identify targets, coordinate attacks, and adapt to changing battlefield conditions without direct human control.»
