For a while to this Ukrainian part has turned the opening of the different Russian drones confiscated or fallen in combat in the closest to research pieces to third parties. Thus they have revealed from hidden messages of the troops of Moscow, until The origin of the vast majority of technology components (with big surprises). It has also been known to what extent China is part of the war machinery.
Now you have to add to a new and important actor: Nvidia.
Drones with ia. We have gone counting: The drone war in Ukraine has entered into A new phasewith both sides competing for deploying systems endowed with artificial intelligence capable of Resist electronic interference and attack objectives autonomously.
The chip. What has now known is that Russia, despite the sanctions that should prevent access to Nvidia hardware, has managed to incorporate Its powerful Jetson processors in several of the most advanced drones models, obtained by contraband in small lots and through third countries.
These chips, fundamental in the development of AI due to their parallel processing capacity, allow to integrate advanced navigation, recognition and guided functions that increase lethality and reduce dependence on control links vulnerable to blockages.
Nvidia and the technological basis. Nvidia, valued in more than Four billion dollars and around 85% of the global market From chips for AI, it produces both high performance units for data centers and Jetson compact plates for edge devices, including drones.
The latter, low relative cost, They have demonstrated in competitions of 2021 and 2023 its capacity to defeat human pilots In FPV races, using only sensors and processing on board. The version Jetson Orincurrent standard in advanced drones, multiply by ten the power of your predecessor Tx2opening the door to autonomous navigation algorithms, detection of complex objectives and maneuvers such as swarm.
Digital predators. In 2023 It was discovered that Russian drones Lancet, with 11 kg of weight and scope of 40 km, They used the Jetson Tx2 For automatic monitoring functions, increasing impact precision even if communication was lost. After an initial phase of problems in 2024, software improvements raised from 30% to 60% the percentage of impacts guided by AI.
Forbes counted that the new generation includes three key models with Jetson Orin: the Shahed modified MS001that Combine Satellite navigation, thermal chamber and objective recognition; The V2Uof four wings and 40 km of reach, with navigation by comparison of land and sequential attack capacity in basic swarm, and the Tyuvika small version of the Shahed with 32 km of reach, designed to hunt moving vehicles and manufactured with commercial components.
Capacities and limitations. The MS001, in addition to its autonomous navigation, can Identify and attack Objectives without depending exclusively on preprogrammed coordinates. The V2U, with a high -resolution camera, laser telemeter and digital modem, can Tour routes Looking for whites, although his discrimination is imperfect and has registered erroneous attacks.
Your mode of teamworkdistinguishing drones by color marks and attacking in shifts, represents an advance towards the coordinated swarm. The Tyuvik, lighter, points to saturate defenses by low cost and mass production. In all cases, software and hardware are scalable and compatible between platforms, which allows to incorporate simultaneously the entire fleet.
Strategic implications. No doubt, these advances bring the end of the drones not endowed with in high intensity environments. With software systems as Flir prism either Auterion Skynodenew functions (from air combat to advanced swarm) can be implemented quickly and with reduced costs. Hardware proliferation Like Jetsonaccessible in the global and difficult to control market, makes this technology “out of the bottle” and available for any state or non -state actor.
On the Ukrainian front, where drone saturation marks the combat rhythm, the combination of flexible production, advanced AI and autonomous capabilities multiply the threat and redefine the balance in the Low Cota Air War.
Image | UKRAINE MOD
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