AUKUS partners test AI-enabled combat drones

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News, US May 30, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

A swarm of artificial intelligence-enabled air and ground drone vehicles was tested by AUKUS partner militaries. More than 70 military and civilian personnel from Australia, the UK, and the U.S. participated in the trials.

The trials were conducted in April this year, however, it was not until May 27, 2023, that the officials formally announced the success of the trials. During the trials, artificial intelligence-enabled air and ground vehicles collaboratively detected and tracked targets during testing overseas.

The AUKUS agreement is generally known as a pact that would allow Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. However, the deeper layers of the AUKUS also focus on developing critical technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cyber security, quantum technology, and hypersonic weapons development, for AUKUS partner states. The trials for AI-enabled drones were conducted under the lesser-discussed Advanced Capabilities Pillar or Pillar 2 of the AUKUS deal.

UK General Rob Magowan, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Financial and Military Capability), said that “Accelerating technological advances will deliver the operational advantages necessary to defeat current and future threats across the battlespace”.

Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense for AUKUS, Abe Denmark released a statement regarding the trials saying that the demonstration was “truly a shared effort.” Denmark said that teams from all three countries jointly developed technologies for uncrewed vehicles and evaluated their performances.

*^{The United Kingdom conducts trials of heavy uncrewed ground vehicles. (Image Credit: UK Ministry of Defense)}*

Some of the AI-enable combat vehicles were built on existing models, such as Blue Bear Ghost and Insitu CT220 drones. The ground vehicles were developed on Challenger 2 main battle tanks and Warrior armored vehicles as well as Viking uncrewed ground vehicles.

“By pooling our expertise and resources through our AUKUS partnerships,” Denmark said in his statement, “we can ensure that our militaries are equipped with the latest and most effective tools to defend our nations and uphold principles of freedom and democracy around the world.”

Australian Deputy Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Industry, Hugh Jeffrey said, “This capability of mission-tailored adaptive AI is going to be able to deliver a capability greater than what any country can do alone… That really is the rationale for AUKUS.”

The U.S. and its AUKUS partner states have increased their attention to AI-driven defense technologies. The U.S. Department of Defense’s fiscal 2024 budget blueprint shows that $1.8 billion budget for AI. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks described AI as a “key technology” area. The department cataloged at least 685 ongoing AI projects as of early 2021, including several tied to major weapons systems.

^{Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton stands next to an anti-ship missile at the opening of the Navy Guided Weapons Maintenance Facility, in Sydney, on April 5, 2022. (Image Credit: Dan Himbrechts/AP)}

AUKUS’s Advanced Capabilities Pillar made substantial progress in the last few months and attained attention from other Western allies along the way. Earlier this month, the Canadian government expressed interest in deepening the non-nuclear cooperation with the AUKUS countries. Canada’s Defense Minister Anita Anand said that “Canada is highly interested in furthering cooperation on AI, quantum computing, and other advanced technologies with a defense nexus with our closest allies.”

This was the first time that a high-level Canadian official has expressed interest in being a part of the AUKUS alliance. Canada and New Zealand’s exclusion from the initial AUKUS defense pact was seen as a snub by many observers as the two countries already have an established intelligence-sharing network with the AUKUS allies.