“Autonomous systems now account for up to 80% of battlefield losses in the Russia–Ukraine conflict with estimates indicating that only 10% of autonomous systems attacks are intercepted by Ukrainian soldiers,” said Will Ashford-Brown, Director of Heligan Strategic Insights. “That tells you everything about where the technology stands. Autonomous systems are not supplementary to warfare but play a leading role and our mechanisms to protect ourselves from them are woefully underinvested.”
Ashford-Brown points to edge computing as a key issue in developing autonomous warfare systems: “The constraint on autonomy has not been AI capability but being able to run this at speed and without relying on a remote server,” said the report author. “As edge compute matures, autonomous systems will be able to make real-time decisions and operate more effectively in jammed environments.”
In the UK, says the report, counter-UAS system investment has lagged behind.
“According to Sifted, drone manufacturing has absorbed over UKP450 million in investment since 2019, with drone startups alone accounting for 70% of all defence and dual-use funding in 2025,” says the report. “On the other hand, counter-UAS technology has received just UK23 million over the same period.”
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Autonomous Systems | Resources | Heligan Group
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