Ukraine's secret weapon: AI drones revolutionise combat strategies
Journalists from the German newspaper Bild accompanied Ukrainian soldiers during an attack using HF-1 Helsing strike drones. Here is what they are and how they are made.
Founded in Berlin in 2021, the company Helsing AI is engaged in the mass production of strike drones. Recent contracts include up to 10,000 HF-1 drones and an undisclosed number of HX-2 drones, with over 1,000 HF-1s already delivered to Ukraine. Moreover, current production capabilities are said to be 1,000 drones per month.
The concept is straightforward, involving the use of commercially available electronic components and open-source software, which allows for the easy replacement of parts if necessary. In addition, artificial intelligence algorithms are employed in the target-tracking process.
As a Ukrainian soldier admitted in an interview with Bild journalists, thanks to this, HF-1 drones are resistant to electronic warfare systems, and even if a signal is lost, the drone will strike the target previously marked by the pilot.
It's worth noting that this is not an issue for the company, which also deals with electronic warfare systems for Eurofighter aircraft and experiments with so-called AI pilots, which in the future, may replace or complement human pilots.
HF-1 drones — a deadly plywood craft capable of striking deep into enemy lines
HF-1 drones, along with a catapult, are made from readily available plywood, helping to reduce production costs. Unfortunately, the mass of the HF-1 drone is unknown, but dimensionally, excluding different wing construction, it resembles the HX-2, so the weight may also be around 12 kilograms.
The drone is equipped with warheads capable of attacking both armoured and unarmoured targets, suggesting the use of a popular multifunctional warhead system, combining cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation warheads.
The HF-1 drone, as reported in an interview with Bild journalists by a Ukrainian soldier, can stay airborne for about an hour, and the optimal range for striking targets is approximately 40 to 50 kilometres. This is twice the distance compared to the increasingly popular strike drones controlled via fibre optics.
This capability allows Ukrainians to surprise Russian forces deep in the rear, where they do not expect an attack, further paralysing logistics. This is crucial because, without supplies of ammunition, fuel, food, water, and medical provisions, frontline units cannot sustain combat for more than a few days.
Artificial intelligence in warfare — the future is here
The greatest strength of the HF-1 drones is their software and the use of artificial intelligence algorithms that transform these plywood constructions into a powerful weapon. AI ensures immunity to electronic warfare systems and allows for attacking targets even if the pilot loses connection with the drone.
Simply put, after the pilot selects the target from a distance outside the range of jammers (several tens or rarely hundreds of metres from the jammer), the drone will autonomously guide itself to the target based on artificial intelligence algorithms that enable recognition and identification of objects seen by the camera.
The Ukrainians are already testing solutions on FPV drones based on Skynode-S modules or modified Google Coral development boards, but such makeshift solutions are nothing compared to factory equipment.
