AUKUS demonstrates military autonomy and AI sensing systems

Testing saw the deployment of AI-enabled uncrewed aerial vehicles that allow a human operator to locate, disable and destroy targets on the ground.

The successful trial, which included AUKUS partners and experts from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), used AI and autonomous systems to reduce the time it takes to identify enemy targets and operate with reduced risk to life. 

This included several drones from each nation operating together in the same airspace to achieve a common outcome, whilst being augmented by an AUKUS AI team, which retrained and deployed AI onto the drones. 

In a statement, Commodore Rachel Singleton, head of the Defence Artificial Intelligence Centre (DAIC), and UK lead for AUKUS AI and Autonomy Working Group, said: “Resilient and Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Technologies [RAAIT] provides the opportunity to develop, test and trial AI models on autonomous systems.

“The AUKUS partnership is key to ensuring that the systems designed by each nation are interoperable into the future. Service personnel from one nation will be supported by capabilities that have been developed across all three nations.”