Ukraine's air defense already shooting down jet-powered drones with AI-driven robotic turrets — Air Force

Ukraine's air defense forces have already successfully shot down Russian jet-powered drones using robotic turrets equipped with artificial intelligence, according to Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat. Ihnat made this statement during the United News national telethon program on October 5. The spokesman emphasized that the innovative use of artificial intelligence in the turrets has effectively eliminated human error, enabling the machine vision system to detect and shoot down even the most advanced jet-powered drones.

Ihnat noted that the operating radius of these turrets is relatively small, as their primary weapon is a machine gun. However, he stressed that the fight against jet-powered drones involves a multi-faceted approach. Fighter jets remain the main weapon in this battle, while Ukraine also employs Shilka and Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems, mobile fire groups, and interceptor drones, among other measures.

On October 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that 12 such turrets had been installed in Kyiv, with an additional eight planned for installation in Kyiv Oblast.