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Ukraine: the “Hitch-Hiker”, this new drone that could change the situation on the front

Two American companies have developed an “anti-drone drone” which has reportedly been tested on the Ukrainian front.

It would make it possible to shoot down enemy drones using artificial intelligence.

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War in Ukraine: a thousand days since the Russian invasion

An “anti-drone drone”. This is what two American companies have succeeded in developing. With some success: according to Newsweek (new window)these systems would have been tested on the Ukrainian battlefield.

As told by the American weekly, the drone was developed by IronNet, specializing in cybersecurity and AI, and Asterion Systems, leader in unmanned aerial systems technology. The two companies have developed the Hitch-Hiker: a high-speed interceptor drone, powered by electrical energy. It is designed to destroy enemy drones, such as the Iranian Shahed, without the need to spend considerable amounts of money using the Patriot missile.

“A radical change”

It is an all-inclusive model“, summarized Colonel Peer de Jong on LCI, explaining that, from now on, on the battlefield “There is not one drone but hundreds of drones. Artificial intelligence must be able to identify trajectories and prioritize shooting.” To avoid spending precious Patriot missiles, the two companies have combined their technologies: “There are two professions coming together. Asterion has designed a killer drone and IronNet is creating an environment for it in which it can move.” Admiral Mike Hewitt, director of the American company IronNet, described this project as a “radical change.

Since the first months of the Russian invasion in 2022, the drone market has evolved considerably. In Ukraine, around 200 companies produce devices with varied functions, from inexpensive kamikaze drones to advanced machines, some of which are capable of adapting to different situations. ISR Defense's star machine, the “R18”, can thus drop explosives on Russian troops but also transport ammunition or supplies to soldiers, when transport by vehicle is too risky. The “Vampire”, a formidable combat drone produced by the eponymous Ukrainian company, also delivered medicine and food to residents of flooded areas after the explosion of the Kakhovka dam in June 2023 in southern Ukraine. 'Ukraine.

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    What are these 4,000 sophisticated drones equipped with AI that Germany will deliver to Ukraine?

kyiv's allies are increasing deliveries of devices as technological developments progress. Last week, Berlin announced the delivery of 4,000 sophisticated drones to kyiv: “These are drones controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) and which can disable the electronic defenses of opposing drones“, explained the German Minister of Defense. According to the latter, these 4,000 units are able to act over a range of “30, 40 km“in Russian territory and”to attack combat posts, logistics nodes and others.


T.G.

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