Ukraine Says AI Turrets Downed Russian Jet Drones

Ukraine’s Air Force says artificial intelligence-assisted machine-gun turrets have shot down Russian jet-powered drones, including Geran-5 models, marking the first reported engagements of the faster aircraft by the systems. Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat announced the interceptions on October 5, but the claims have not been independently confirmed. The turrets use machine vision and artificial intelligence to aim, according to Ihnat. He said the technology enables them to engage jet-powered drones, which are faster than propeller-driven models and harder to intercept. The announcement was based on Ihnat’s remarks on Ukrainian television; the reports do not specify how many drones the turrets have downed or provide independently verifiable evidence of the interceptions. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on October 4 that 12 or more turrets had been installed in or around Kyiv. Reports describe eight additional units as planned for the Kyiv region, though no installation date was given. The systems are being placed at locations including bridges, according to Ukrainian officials, as the country responds to Russian drone attacks on the capital and nearby infrastructure.