The AUKUS alliance has conducted a successful trial for the integration of autonomy and artificial intelligence (AI) for UAS. This trial saw AI-enabled drones tested in a real-time military environment by the three nations – Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, following on from previous tests of AI-enabled drone swarms last year.

During the exercise, AI-enabled drones were deployed to locate, disable and destroy ground targets. The operation was supported by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and showcased the capability of autonomous systems to collaborate across national platforms, significantly reducing the time required to identify threats while minimising risks to human operators.

Commodore Rachel Singleton, Head of the Defence Artificial Intelligence Centre (DAIC) and UK lead for the AUKUS AI and Autonomy Working Group, emphasised the importance of the trial, stating, “The AUKUS partnership is key to ensuring that the systems designed by each nation are interoperable into the future.”

The exercise also demonstrated the ability of AI models to be retrained and deployed onto various platforms, enhancing the operational efficiency of military forces across the three allied nations.

This trial is part of the AUKUS Resilient and Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Technologies (RAAIT) series, conducted during the US-hosted Project Convergence exercise. The RAAIT series aims to develop and deploy AI and autonomy technologies responsibly, with a focus on ensuring meaningful human control in combat scenarios.

The exercise reflects rapid advancements in AI and autonomous systems within the AUKUS framework, with these technologies expected to be integrated into national defence platforms, providing a significant operational advantage. The trial also explored new capabilities for protecting military assets, such as armoured vehicles, from electronic warfare, laser and GPS attacks, demonstrating the enhanced interoperability and technological capabilities that the AUKUS alliance brings to its military operations.

Crédito da imagem da publicação: Laboratório de Ciência e Tecnologia da Defesa