Robot wars - what an operation in Ukraine tells us about the battlefield of the near future

After Ukraine's President Zelensky said territory had been captured using just robots and drones, what is the future of unmanned warfare? The future of drones and robots in the Russia-Ukraine war and beyond Robots vs. robots – the future of warfare? Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Ukraine President Zelensky in front of robots and drones Robot wars - what an operation in Ukraine tells us about the battlefield of the near future View from behind the barrel of a machine gun. The battlefield in Ukraine could soon feature more robot than human soldiers - that is the startling claim made by a Ukrainian-British military start-up. The BBC visited UFORCE at its London premises, which are unbranded and discreet, a measure the company says is intended to protect it from potential Russian sabotage. I wanted to know more about the company because of its involvement in what Ukraine says was an unprecedented military operation: enemy territory being seized using only robots and drones. The claim was made by Ukraine's President Zelensky in a video last month highlighting Ukraine's newly developed robotic weapons. The claim was made by Ukraine's President Zelensky in a video last month highlighting Ukraine's newly developed robotic weapons Both sides have made extensive use of unmanned aerial and land systems throughout the conflict, with analysts saying the war has dramatically accelerated the development of military technology. It has also intensified the debate about the future of warfare and its implications for soldiers, robot as well as human. Zelensky has been keen to publicise what he says was a first in the history of war - but Ukraine's military has declined to provide details of the operation. Similarly, a UFORCE representative would not comment on the robotic battle described in Zelensky's video, but said UFORCE's air, land and sea drones are currently being used in combat operations. "I can't go into specifics about the operation or how UFORCE was involved, but we've conducted more than 150,000 successful combat missions since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022," said Rhiannon Padley, the firm's UK director of strategic partnerships. What is clear though is that robotic weapon systems are big business. The company has expanded rapidly and recently achieved "unicorn" status - a valuation of more than $1bn (£730m). Ukraine-made drones and weaponry were on display in the president's video Robots, drones and trucks in a studio setting She added that the phenomenon of robots fighting robots was likely to become more common, with unmanned systems even outnumbering human soldiers. Russia is also deploying robots designed to deliver explosives into Ukrainian positions, and analysts say advances in this technology are likely to reshape how future wars are fought. "I really consider Ukraine to be a major teacher in the future of national defence and armaments," said Melanie Sisson, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "It's an impressive case study in how necessity drives invention." UFORCE is part of a growing group of so-called Neo-Prime defence companies, challenging established firms such as BAE Systems, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Another is Anduril, a US defence technology company which carried out its first test flight of a fighter jet without a pilot in February. Some of UFORCE's land drones feature computer-assisted targeting UFORCE land drone - a small tank like vehicle with a large gun on top While most drones are still operated remotely by humans, companies such as Anduril are increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence into weapons systems. UFORCE's land-based drones use software designed to assist with targeting, while Anduril says some of its systems can autonomously complete the final phase of an attack. The US government has publicly urged its military to adopt artificial intelligence aggressively. In January, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the country needs to become an "AI-first warfighting force". China is also increasing its use of AI-enabled military systems, according to a US Department of Defense assessment published last year. Analysts say a future in which robots directly engage one another on the battlefield may be difficult to avoid. "Ukrainian and Russian drones already fight each other," said Jacob Parakilas of RAND Europe, a think tank. "Seeing that extend to land and maritime warfare seems extremely likely, if not inevitable." Anduril has secured billions of dollars in funding and US military contracts Joe Tidy and Richard Drake in the Anduril London HQ standing in front of a drone Human rights groups, however, warn that greater autonomy in weapons systems raises serious concerns about accountability. "Militaries adopt AI to speed up processes such as target identification. But delegating life-and-death decisions to machines poses profound ethical and human rights risks," said Patrick Wilcken of Amnesty International. Weapons manufacturers argue that keeping a "human in the loop" addresses such concerns, insisting that decisions to deploy force remain with military personnel. "Humans need rest and food, and under combat conditions those needs aren't always met," said Dr Rich Drake, UK general manager at Anduril Industries. "Computing allows us to reduce errors across what we call the kill chain." Two us cyber command officers in front of giant screens with data and information on them What role has cyber warfare played in Iran? Alex Karp, wearing a blue suit and shirt, speaks on a stage against a dark blue backdrop The viral manifesto of 'anti-woke' tech boss with NHS and defence contracts US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, wearing a blue suit jacket, purple and blue tie, and a white dress shirt, stands beside a logo for the Pentagon as he looks downward. Pentagon says US military to be an 'AI-first' fighting force A green promotional banner with black squares and rectangles forming pixels, moving in from the right. 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Hope and Aid Direct has sent more than 100 aid trucks to Ukraine since the conflict began in 2022. A volunteer search team says the thermal imaging drone will be a “game changer” in tracking down missing dogs.