Ukraine's robotic gun turrets have scored their first kills of Russia's fastest attack drones
A senior Ukrainian Air Force official said Monday that AI-assisted robotic gun turrets had intercepted Russia’s fastest attack drones for the first time.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more than a dozen systems were placed around Kyiv, with eight more planned for the surrounding region. Their deployment is part of Ukraine’s response to growing attacks by jet-powered drones.
Officials have not identified the turret model. Zelenskyy said it carries a .50-caliber machine gun, while Air Force official Inhat said AI and machine vision support interception and noted the guns have limited range.
Russia has increased its use of drones powered by small turbojet engines. Ukraine reported that Moscow launched 2,800 in August, up from 350 in June; the newer Geran-5 can reportedly reach 375 mph.
Ukraine confirmed last year that it had deployed the Sky Sentinel, another AI-powered turret. Zelenskyy also said the Ukrainian Bars long-range drone intercepts 30% of its targets, with other systems improving. The article does not say when the additional Kyiv-region turrets will be deployed.
Key points
- Ukraine says AI-assisted turrets have intercepted jet-powered Russian drones for the first time.
- More systems are planned for the Kyiv region as Russia steps up turbojet-drone attacks.
- The turret model remains undisclosed; Zelenskyy said it uses a .50-caliber machine gun.