Ukraine and NATO have developed two AI tools to predict Russian drone activity and help Ukrainian forces plan artillery operations.
The NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre (JATEC) presented the tools — called Model No. 13 and Model No. 32 — developed together with Allied Command Transformation and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The two tools address different parts of battlefield decision-making: anticipating incoming drone threats and helping commanders plan their own operations.
Model No. 13 analyzes historical data, weather conditions, and the current battlefield situation to forecast the likely intensity, location, timing, and types of enemy drone activity near the front.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the model has been validated using real-world datasets and is ready for integration into the military’s situational awareness systems.
Model No. 32 focuses on artillery planning. It evaluates mission requirements and operational constraints to generate and rank feasible plans, reducing the need for personnel to compare options manually.
A prototype has been handed to Ukrainian stakeholders for testing, but wider deployment depends on further validation.
Drones in Russia-Ukraine War
Russia has used drones extensively to strike Ukrainian cities, military positions, and critical infrastructure. Alongside long-range attack systems, Russian forces deploy reconnaissance drones to locate Ukrainian positions and help direct artillery fire.
In September, the Ukrainian MoD said its forces had already neutralized more than 350,000 Russian drones since the beginning of 2026. At least 220,000 of these were fixed-wing drones.
These developments underscore the importance of early warning and battlefield surveillance in Ukraine’s defense.
Ukraine has responded by expanding its use of artificial intelligence to analyze battlefield data and support drone operations. Its Avengers Labs platform allows developers to train AI models using annotated footage collected during the war.
The United Kingdom became the first international partner to join the platform in September, allowing British defense companies to train and test AI models for unmanned systems in a secure environment.