Forbes: Ukraine deploys AI turrets against record Russian drone attacks

Ukraine is deploying AI-controlled turrets to combat escalating Russian drone attacks, Forbes reported on 28 May.

The radar-guided weapons operate without human intervention and can defend a small city, according to the fundraising campaign UNITED24.

The initiative has been launched following Russian drone bombardments that have reached record levels. On 26 May, the Ukrainian Air Force reported 355 incoming drones in a single night, an all-time record. This nearly matches the monthly totals from 2024.

Russia produces Shahed drones based on an Iranian design. Recent models carry shrapnel warheads and cluster munitions designed to maximize civilian casualties.

Ukraine’s interception rate has declined from over 95% to 84% last month. Combined with increased drone numbers, more apartment buildings are being hit by the attacks.

Ukrainian sources attribute the decline to concentrated drone swarms and higher flight altitudes. One drone was tracked at 4,300 meters, over 14,000 feet, this week.

Traditional defense methods face limitations. The US produces only 650 Patriot missiles annually, which would be exhausted within days against hundreds of nightly drones. Mobile defense units with automatic cannons remain effective but share human limitations.

The Sky Sentinel system mounts on a mobile trailer and provides AI-powered capability. “It never needs rest, never gets tired, and reacts instantly and precisely to incoming threats at any time day or night,” according to the system description.

The turret uses a standard heavy machine gun linked to target-spotting radar. It rotates 360 degrees to handle attacks from any direction. The system can reportedly hit drones traveling at 500 miles per hour, well above the 120 mph speed of Shaheds.

Ukrainian engineers developed the AI control system domestically. It accounts for wind speed and direction while distinguishing drones from birds and other flying objects.

A fraction of an inch tolerance could cause bullets to miss by yards. The system required zero mechanical play even after recoil. Pointing accuracy reaches 17 micro-radians, less than a tenth of an inch at 1,000 yards.

“We’re solving dozens of micro-challenges so that everything works as a single seamless system,” the engineer stated. “No mechanical slack, no software delays, flawless optics, and precision firing. It all has to work in perfect sync.”

A prototype Sky Sentinel has entered operation and reportedly downed four Shaheds.

The system resembles a low-cost version of the US Navy’s Phalanx Close-In Weapons System. Phalanx uses a six-barreled 20mm cannon firing 75 rounds per second against cruise missiles. The ground-based Centurion C-RAM version defended bases in Iraq but costs $10-15 million per unit.

Sky Sentinel costs about one-hundredth of earlier systems while meeting Ukraine’s specific drone defense needs. A single Phalanx burst costs around $7,000 and may require several attempts per target.

Sky Sentinels will form the inner layer of layered defenses. Interceptor drones, missiles and other weapons will provide outer protection layers.

UNITED24, President Zelenskyy’s official fundraising platform, is raising $1.5 million for 10 Sky Sentinel turrets.