Ukraine wants to develop laser guidance, AI for drones swarms, cheap missiles - minister

This was stated by the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, who spoke at the GLOBSEC Forum in Prague, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He said that the Ukrainian troops face such challenges as an overwhelming number of enemy equipment and infantry, shortage of shells, kamikaze drones, and reconnaissance UAVs.

According to Fedorov, in response, the Armed Forces are using cheap FPV drones, reconnaissance UAVs, small air defense systems, and Ukraine has begun to produce its own long-range drones for strikes deep inside Russia.

"What are the next challenges where we need your help – how to invent effective laser guidance, how to develop AI for drone swarms, how to develop a Ukrainian HIMARS, how to develop cheap Ukrainian missiles to shoot down Shaheds? I think we can only succeed together. We can work and invent together. We can produce together," the minister addressed the partners.

As reported, the Brave1 grant program was launched in July 2023. Over the year, defense tech participants of the Brave1 cluster have received 186 grants for their projects for a total amount of $3.2 million.

For 2024, the government has allocated UAH1.5 billion in grants for developers of defense tech solutions.

Illustrative photo: c4isrnet.com