Drone warfare in Ukraine: automatic guidance and AI demining

Three key stories of the week: June 27 - July 01, 2025.

Photo: Kolibri FPV drones. Courtesy of TAF Drones.

When I read about the new and improved drones Russia uses to strike Ukraine, I fall into a trap — assuming that Ukrainians will fix this, that they’ll quickly come up with another creative solution. But that’s not a given. It depends on men and women who, in the face of real life-and-death situations, somehow manage to innovate.

Behind each of these solutions lies exhausting work carried out under constant shelling, bureaucratic obstacles, and the fear for one’s own life and the lives of loved ones.

While I genuinely enjoy tracking this innovation race and gathering updates for my newsletter, I also remind myself not to lose sight of the reality behind it: the people who are fighting and surviving through it all 🇺🇦

I’m happy that in this newsletter, I’ll be mentioning some familiar names — Ukrainian drone manufacturers I’ve previously written about. It’s great to see their continued success and innovative solutions!

Thank you for reading and supporting my work!

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Last Mile automatic guidance modules by TAF Drones

TAF Drones is one of the most successful drone-producing firms in Ukraine. It was recently included in the Top 100 Drone Defense Companies in 2025 by Defense Post (#22). I’ve dedicated one of my first Substack posts to them; you can read it here.

Their latest innovation—the Last Mile automatic targeting module—has recently been codified and is now being prepared for mass production. The module recently passed compliance testing for NATO standards and the requirements of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

This is one of the key technologies that enables a drone to keep a target in focus—or continue a mission—even in cases of signal loss or electronic interference. Designed to simplify the drone operator’s work and withstand electronic warfare (EW) disruption, the module significantly enhances the effectiveness of combat missions.

TAF Drones says that their Last Mile module has a number of advantages: compatible with any type of FPV drone, built-in machine vision and artificial intelligence, and high accuracy of hitting even in a remote EW zone.

In addition, Last Mile is resistant to wind gusts up to 10 m/s, effectively captures a target at a speed of 40-60 km/h, and the deviation of holding a stationary target does not exceed 1 meter. Target capture and tracking are possible from a distance of up to 500 meters - complete autonomy without loss of control.

Earlier, Yaroslav Azhnyuk, Founder & CEO @ TheFourthLaw.ai: Autonomy modules for robotic systems, shared his view with Dev.UA, that autonomy modules will soon be installed on most drones, boosting FPV effectiveness by two to three times. According to him, these modules address electronic warfare and radio horizon challenges in the final stretch of flight, significantly enhancing pilot capabilities, particularly in difficult conditions and against moving targets.

Here is the video from the testing of this module, published by TAF Drones in April 2024.

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Ukraine’s Anti-Shahed Solutions

Ukraine continues to experiment with various solutions to counter the multiple Shahed-type drones Russia uses against its civilian population and military forces, including interceptor drones, AI-equipped turrets, and specialized ammunition.