Ukraine has used an artificial intelligence-based “mother drone” in combat for the first time — a breakthrough system capable of delivering two strike drones up to 300 kilometers into enemy territory.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation and Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, announced the development on Telegram, sharing a video of the drone in action, Ukrinform reports.
According to Fedorov, drones powered by AI are already operating on the battlefield. Ukraine’s defense tech cluster Brave1 developed the new AI system, which significantly enhances the precision and effectiveness of attacks on Russian targets.
“The mother drone can carry two strike FPV drones up to 300 kilometers. These drones autonomously identify and destroy targets — from enemy aircraft to air defense systems and critical infrastructure. If the mission range is within 100 kilometers, the mother drone can return and be reused,” Fedorov said.
He noted that one mission costs about $10,000 — hundreds of times cheaper than launching a missile, which can cost 300 to 500 times more.
Remarkably, the system operates without GPS. Instead, it uses SmartPilot technology, which relies on visual-inertial navigation via onboard cameras, with LIDAR further enhancing targeting accuracy. The AI independently detects and selects targets.
“We continue to build Ukrainian innovations that are changing the rules of the technological battlefield,” Fedorov said.
Photo for illustration purposes
Source: Ukraine deploys AI-powered 'mother drone' for first time
