Russian KUB-BLA drones conduct autonomous 'suicide' attacks
Autonomous Kalashnikov ZALA Aero KUB-BLA loitering drones may have been used for 'suicide attacks' in Russia's war with Ukraine, raising concerns about the ethics and accuracy of so-called 'killer robots'. According to a Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article , images of a downed Russian-made Kalashnikov ZALA Aero KUB-BLA drone were found in Ukraine. KUB-BLAs are able to select and strike targets through inputted coordinates or autonomously, with the system capable of 'real-time recognition and classification of detected objects' using AI, accordin g (pdf) to Netherlands-based peace organisation Pax for Peace . Open source intelligence together with images released by the Russian government indicate AI technologies are being used widely in t he Rus sia-Ukraine war. System 🤖 ZALA Aero KUB-BLA 🔗 Operator: Russian Aerospace Forces Developer: Rostec/JSC Kalashnikov Concern/ZALA Aero Country: Ukraine; Russia Sector: Govt - defence Purpose: Kill/maim/damage/destroy Technology: Drone; Object recognition Issue: Lethal autonomous weapons
- Date it happened
- 2022-03-01
- Organisation involved
- Russian Aerospace Forces
- Product, system or model
- KUB-BLA
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