LONDON (dpa-AFX) - UK has has successfully trialed AI-powered drone technology to identify landmines and explosive ordnance.
The Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) led a major trial on behalf of the British Army, which allowed bomb-disposal experts to conduct their mission faster through rapid detection.
The trial demonstrated that AI models can be rapidly retrained to recognize new threat types and adapt to different environments, so that UK military personnel could be better protected on the battlefield as a result of these trials.
Conducted with 33 Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search) at their Essex base, the trial took place over several weeks and saw dozens of replica mines and ordnance placed across varied terrain and land environments.
Data captured by sensors onboard small uncrewed aerial systems was relayed to Army operators, who used AI tools to locate and identify the munitions.
The trial also successfully demonstrated the ability to rapidly retrain AI models to recognize emerging threat types and adapt to different environments - a capability that is critical in fast-evolving modern warfare. This has also been seen in Ukraine, where drones and explosive devices are reshaping the battlefield at pace.
The Defense Science and Technology Laboratory, under UK's Ministry of Defense, said that building on these results, further trials will take place this year to mature the technology and guide the procurement of a deployable capability that can be placed directly into soldiers' hands.
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