The Ukrainian military has begun regularly deploying swarms of artificial intelligence-controlled drones on the battlefield. This technology allows multiple drones to coordinate their actions for a joint attack.
The Ukrainian military has begun regularly deploying swarms of artificial intelligence-controlled drones on the battlefield. This technology allows multiple drones to coordinate their actions for a joint attack.
Ukraine has become the first country to regularly use “swarm technology” on the battlefield, which was previously only a theoretical concept. According to The Wall Street Journal, citing data from the Ukrainian military and software developer Swarmer, drone swarm attacks have been carried out for about a year. This was made possible by artificial intelligence-based software that allows drones to coordinate their actions after launch.
Swarmer technology allows a group of drones to independently determine which one will strike first and adapt to conditions, for example, if one of the drones runs out of battery. The operator only sets the target, and the drones themselves do the rest of the work by communicating with each other.
According to the Ukrainian officer, the technology has already been used more than a hundred times for mining, as well as for destroying enemy manpower, equipment and infrastructure. Usually, three drones are involved in missions: one reconnaissance and two strike. Thanks to this technology, instead of nine people, only three are needed for the operation, which significantly saves time and human resources.
Military experts believe that this technology is the next stage in the development of warfare, as swarms of dozens or even hundreds of drones can overload any defense system.
Swarmer founder Serhiy Kuprienko reported that tests have already been conducted with 25 drones, and plans include testing a swarm of 100 drones.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov hinted at the development of drone-related technology that could become a "game changer" in the war with Russia.
In February 2025, the head of the Brave1 defense cluster, Natalia Kushnerska, spoke about the effectiveness of the technology of group use of drones.
