Ukraine’s General Cherry adds AI guidance to Bullet anti-Shahed interceptor

Ukrainian defense firm General Cherry has joined forces with French startup Alta Ares to equip its Bullet anti-Shahed interceptor drone with AI-powered guidance capabilities. As stated on General Cherry's Facebook page, this collaboration embodies their collective pursuit of a global security framework, drawing insights from Ukraine’s combat experience.

General Cherry plans to integrate two key technologies from Alta Ares: Pixel Lock, which utilizes artificial intelligence for terminal guidance, and Cyclop C2, which offers guidance throughout the flight trajectory. Both systems are designed to maintain target lock through computer vision and data fusion from various sensors, even in the absence of a GPS signal.

This partnership aims to deliver Ukraine's Armed Forces with more precise and dependable systems to counter battlefield drone threats. According to General Cherry, Alta Ares recently secured 50 million euros through a Series A funding round and is already deploying its systems across multiple regions globally. Notably, General Cherry made history as the first Ukrainian defense company to obtain a license for a private air defense system.

Established in 2024, Alta Ares is dedicated to the development of defense technology, specializing in air defense and autonomous systems. General Cherry serves over 200 military units and has the capacity to manufacture 100,000 drones monthly, focusing primarily on interceptor and one-way attack drones.