Ukraine claims to have shot down Russian drone with AI-controlled machine gun

(Johannesburg = Yonhap News) Correspondent Na Confirmation = Ukraine claimed that it shot down a Russian drone with a machine gun controlled by artificial intelligence (AI).

According to AP and AFP on the 5th (local time), the Ukrainian Air Force announced that it had successfully shot down a Russian jet-powered drone using an AI-controlled robot turret.

“Robotic turrets are currently being installed on bridges,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ikhnat said on state TV. “Machine vision technology is used to shoot them down. Thanks to AI, even jet-powered drones can be engaged.”

“There have already been cases of shooting down these drones,” he said, adding that this includes the “Geran-5,” a jet-propelled drone known to have been developed based on the Iranian Shahed series.

Spokesperson Ikhnat said of the turret, "It uses optical equipment and AI to fire without any human intervention elements," AFP reported.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's technical adviser, Serhiy Beskrestnov, also said on social media over the weekend that 12 automated turrets have been installed in the capital Kiev to counter Russia's jet-propelled drones, and that more will be installed.

He described the turret as “an AI-controlled machine gun” and “an innovative Ukrainian solution to shooting down drones.”

Ukraine has been seeking ways to intercept Russia's new drones, which have been conducting air strikes on the capital for several months.

Russia's latest jet-powered drones are faster and more difficult to intercept than existing models, and Ukraine's air defenses are severely lacking munitions suitable for shooting them down.

However, AFP pointed out that AI machine guns are not a perfect solution to this problem.

Spokesperson Ikhnat also said that the operational radius of the system is "about 1 km" and that "it operates under appropriate conditions, such as when the attack drone's entry angle is correct."

“This is not a panacea,” he said, emphasizing that the turret is “part of an integrated air defense system” that allows it to intercept targets at each stage.

He said most of the current response to jet-powered drones is being handled by fighter jets such as F-16s, adding, "We're relying on every tool available to us."