New automatic gun turrets successfully down first Russian jet-powered drones, Air Force says
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously announced that twelve such turrets had been installed where Russian jet-powered drones have been particularly active, including around Kyiv.
On October 5, the U.S. Air Force announced that automated machine gun turrets equipped with AI targeting systems had successfully downed their first Russian jet-powered drones over Ukraine. The turrets, which number twelve and were installed around Kyiv, have proven effective at eliminating even jet UAVs, as confirmed by Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat on national television.
Ihnat attributed the success to the use of artificial intelligence, which he claims eliminates human error. Machine vision plays a crucial role in the turrets' ability to target even jet-powered drones. Russia's deployment of these drones since the end of summer this year has posed a significant challenge to Ukraine's air defense capabilities, particularly for the Geran-4 and Geran-5 models.
Existing interceptor drones have struggled to keep pace, as they are not fast enough to intercept jet-powered drones. Developing jet-powered interceptors in sufficient numbers for the task is currently deemed impractical due to a lack of supply chains for affordable jet engines in the West.
In the absence of a comprehensive solution, the advent of artificial intelligence technology has offered a promising alternative. Small arms, such as the U.S.-made Browning heavy machine guns, now benefit from enhanced automatic aiming systems, contributing to Ukraine's anti-drone air defense network.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
