Israel used world's first AI-guided combat drone swarm in Gaza attacks
TECHNOLOGY 30 June 2021
By
David Hambling
Israel Defense Forces drones operate in a swarm
IDF
During operations in Gaza in mid-May, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) used a swarm of small drones to locate, identify and attack Hamas militants. This is thought to be the first time a drone swarm has been used in combat.
Drones are usually controlled individually by remote operators, but a
swarm is a single networked entity that flies itself using artificial intelligence. It can cover a wide area and keep operating even if it loses many units, and only requires a single human operator to direct it at targets.
An IDF Paratroopers Brigade support unit used the swarm to target Hamas militants who had been firing rockets into Israel.
“The swarm was utilised in the combat area, in which there were many rockets launched into Israeli territory,” an IDF spokesperson told
New Scientist. “As far as we know, this is the first use of this type of tool.” Hamas didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The drones were supplied by Elbit Systems, according to
local media reports. The IDF spokesperson did not confirm this, saying only that standard drones were used in the swarm. Elbit Systems produces Thor, a 9-kilogram quadrotor drone that is reportedly almost silent, along with other specialist drones that can land and provide persistent observation or deliver explosives.
“The operation of the swarm is by a single operator who controls all the drones, there is a commander next to him for making significant decisions and other soldiers for the logistical operation of the swarm,” such as unpacking and charging, the IDF spokesperson says.
The IDF drone swarm gathered intelligence, located targets and carried out attacks on Hamas forces. It also provided targeting information for guided mortar weapons, says the IDF spokesperson.
An IDF commander quoted in local media, claimed that the first attack struck Hamas rocket launcher equipment hidden in an olive grove. The commander claimed that the swarm unit carried out more than 30 successful operations, some against targets many kilometres from the Gaza-Israel border.
Read more: Drones may have attacked humans fully autonomously for the first time
“The reports suggest the IDF is the first military to field an operational drone swarm capability,” says analyst
Zak Kallenborn at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism in Maryland. “However, without knowing more specific details about the drone swarm’s capabilities, it’s tough to gauge how significant or worrisome the achievement is.”
Arthur Holland at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva, Switzerland, agrees that this is potentially significant.
“The systems used in this case probably fall quite far short of the large, dynamic, intelligent swarms that could someday have a highly disruptive effect on warfare,” he says. “But if confirmed, they are certainly a notch up in the incremental growth of autonomy and machine-to-machine collaboration in warfare.”
The concern is that larger, more capable and more autonomous swarms will inevitably follow. Many other nations, including the
US and
China, are also working on swarms of small armed drones.
“A handful of swarming drones is probably not a big risk, but what about 10,000? We may be looking at the emergence of a new weapon of mass destruction,” says Kallenborn.
The IDF is planning to expand its drone operations. “There is a plan to equip the various land units with additional swarms as part of the expose-strike capabilities of the manoeuvring troops,” says the IDF spokesperson.
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