Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, drones have been used massively on the front line. Their uses are numerous: observation, artillery adjustments, targeted bombings or suicide missions. The consumption of drones is colossal. Among these aéronefsaéronefsthere are many losses due to link breaks or satellite positioning of the drone, due to electronic jamming.
How to deal with this phenomenon? Helsing, a German company, claims to have found a solution with the HX-2 intelligent attack drone. This machine is a prowling munition with a cruciform wing (X-Wing). It is discreet due to its electric propulsion and can travel 100 kilometers before hitting its target. Its vitessevitesse peak would be 220 km/h.
But what especially characterizes this lurking ammunition is its navigation system. resilientresilient. It can completely do without GPS assistance and communication link. In other words, it bypasses the interference to carry out the mission for which it was programmed. How ? Thanks to a IAIA. This AI is considered “alive” by Helsing. This means that it must be constantly updated and trained based on feedback from previous missions.
In addition to this AI capable of carrying out navigation and strikes on its own, the drone can be integrated into a software platform called Altra. It allows you to synchronize and exchange data between several intelligence and surveillance drones with this HX-2. Better yet, all drones can also be associated in the exchange of information and orders with other land weapon systems. With Altra, HX-2s can fly autonomously in swarms. A single operator is enough to carry out this collective mission.
Autonomous suicide swarms
On the payload side, the machine can carry an anti-tank munition or a charge intended to destroy infrastructure. More versatile explosives are also compatible. To test the relevance of this drone, the German firm tested it in real conditions in Ukraine. Since then, the weapon has been used by the Ukrainian army in its fight against the invader. It has another advantage: it can be massively produced at a fairly low cost for a lurking ammunition. Thus, the company plans to quickly deliver 4,000 of these HX-2s to the Ukrainian forces.
Other jamming-resistant systems exist. During a presentation of Army innovations at the Paris Military School, Futura was able to discover a wire-guided FPV quadcopter prototype, equipped with ammunition. The optical link is maintained to ensure mission continuity, whatever the jamming conditions. Robust, the cable can measure up to seven kilometers without breaking. For the moment, these are experiments carried out by the new Future Command. This type of initiative does not mean that this type of drone will one day be massively produced for use by the French army. Remember that the latter is not currently equipped with lurking ammunition.
For ethical reasons, it is unlikely to see the French army equipping itself with a drone like the HX-2 – a suicide munition that can be 100% autonomous and capable of continuing a strike without human control.
