Ukraine’s AI ‘Mothership’ Drone Ready for First Autonomous Strikes

Ukraine has taken a major leap forward in drone warfare by deploying autonomous “mothership” drones that deliver first-person view (FPV) attack drones on deep-strike missions against Russian targets, according to the Kyiv-based tech firm behind the innovation.

Strategy Force Solutions (StratForce), a Ukrainian startup specializing in autonomous systems, claims to have successfully trialed its GOGOL-M artificial intelligence (AI) enhanced mothership drones in operational missions, launching coordinated strikes at ranges of up to 300 kilometers (190 miles).

“A $10,000 mission replaces what previously required $3-5 million missile systems,” the chief technical officer Andrii (surname withheld) told Forbes.

The company says it cannot yet release footage of the strikes, which remain unverified, but describes the development as a natural evolution of Ukraine’s growing drone warfare capabilities.

Each mothership is capable of delivering two FPV-type drones equipped with lightweight versions of StratForce’s proprietary SmartPilot system. The mothership returns for reuse, while the attack drones independently carry out the mission.

“By pairing them [small FPV drones] with AI mothership drones, we can guarantee precision strikes,” Andrii said.

SmartPilot combines AI with multiple sensors – including Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) equipment and advanced cameras – to enable autonomous navigation, target recognition, and real-time decision-making without the need for GPS or constant human oversight.

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Ukraine Outpaces Russia in FPV Drone Warfare, Syrsky Says

Ukraine has gained an edge over Russia in FPV drones, outproducing and deploying them at a ratio of 1.5 to 1, according to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky. He said Ukrainian drone operators struck nearly 180,000 verified targets in May and neutralized around 4,000 Shahed drones, while long-range drone units continued expanding attacks on Russian command centers and logistics hubs.

“It’s like a self-driving car,” said Andrii. “There are not so many obstacles in the air, but the system has to be lightweight. That’s how we arrived at our system of cameras, LIDAR, and communication to allow the AI to navigate, coordinate, and maneuver.”

The SmartPilot system enables missions ranging from direct strikes to search-and-destroy and tactical ambush operations. Drones can land near a target area and wait – ready to strike aircraft on runways or convoys moving along key routes.

“It supports ambush missions, landing and waiting for targets, and autonomous search in real time,” Andrii said.

StratForce says its current monthly production capacity includes 50 GOGOL-M motherships and 400 FPV drones, pending military contracts. Feedback from early field trials has been “positive,” the company reports.

Andrii described the AI’s ability to replicate human decision-making in flight as one of the project’s biggest challenges: “With SmartPilot it was a really serious challenge how to imitate the flight of the drone in the way it would be remotely controlled by a pilot.”