U.S. Based AI Firm Helps Ukraine Identify Russian Targets, Increases Kill Rate to 80%

Ukrainian drones have increased their hit rate of enemy targets from 50% earlier this year to 80% currently thanks to an artificial intelligence (AI) embedded scout UAV, SAKAR  that can identify Russian personnel, tanks, armored vehicles among others.

Ukraine is training an army of robot drones, teaching them how to distinguish Russian soldiers on the battlefield by their uniforms and the way they move, a new report has said.

The SAKER scout drone can independently identify targets such as armoured vehicles to troop formations, and feed that information back to a command post which then selects the best option to strike at the target.

The SAKER has a range of 10km and its own inertial guidance system, rather than relying on GPS, which makes it far less vulnerable to jamming. As the war in Ukraine has progressed the strike rate of conventional attack drones has fallen, with both sides improving their jamming systems and other countermeasures.

The report said even good drone pilots have a hit rate of less than 50% and among newer recruits that drops to just 10%. However, with the robot drones, that success rate is said to rise to 80%.

The software that powers AI in Ukrainian drones is developed by a U.S. based company, Palantir. Nearly all of Ukraine's artillery targeting is now reportedly carried out using AI systems of a U.S. based software firm, Palantir Inc.

The Palantir software collates data from a number of sources – human intelligence, drones, radar, and even thermal imaging that can detect troop movements or artillery fire.

It then uses AI modelling to process that information and give commanders a variety of targeting options.

The software even learns as it goes, becoming more accurate over time. Ukraine's AI drones are reportedly being fed videos of Russian troops, learning how to recognize them, how they behave and the uniforms they wear.

The Palantir software collates data from a number of sources – human intelligence, drones, radar, and even thermal imaging that can detect troop movements or artillery fire.

It then uses AI modelling to process that information and give commanders a variety of targeting options.

The software even learns as it goes, becoming more accurate over time. Ukraine's AI drones are reportedly being fed videos of Russian troops, learning how to recognize them, how they behave and the uniforms they wear.