U.S. Army soldiers are training to use Ukrainian-made Hornet kamikaze drones, which have proven themselves in combat and incorporate elements of artificial intelligence.
Defence Blog reports that these drones are being used in military exercises in Europe.
In early May, troops from the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, conducted drone launches at the Pabradė training area in Lithuania.
Meanwhile, Hornet drones were used at the Bemowo Piskie training area in Poland during the Saber Strike 26 exercises, as well as in March at the Grafenwoehr base in Germany.
The drones will also be used as part of a broader series of exercises taking place across Europe through the end of May.
Using the Hornet in several countries during the same training period suggests the drones are being widely integrated into exercises, not just tested in isolated cases.
Hornet
The Hornet is a fixed-wing drone developed and produced by the U.S. company Swift Beat, which former Google CEO Eric Schmidt owns.
Hornet is designed to strike military equipment and concentrations of enemy personnel at long range. A distinctive feature of this loitering munition in its class is the extensive integration of artificial intelligence elements.
The exact flight range is not publicly disclosed, but it is estimated at 100–150 km, with a warhead weighing up to 5 kg.
Hornet in Ukraine
Ukrainian defenders are currently using these drones to target Russian logistics deep in the rear areas of temporarily occupied territories.
In particular, the 1st Azov Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine uses Hornet kamikaze drones to hit Russian invaders’ vehicle equipment in the Donetsk area.
Strike drones are deployed along key routes in the areas of Zuhres, Andriivka, Starobesheve, Horlivka, and Lysychansk, as well as on the Donetsk ring road. Russian invaders refer to this drone as Martian-2.
