Inside Ukraine's Azov Drone R&D: The Engineer Building AI Weapons 18 km From the Front Line | Alexander Palamarchuk

The US has said that we'll not develop fully autonomous lethal weapons for ethical reasons. But it seems on the battlefield, every side is trying to get an advantage. Within two years, you'd be able to field fully autonomous drones. I mean, that's a a frightening world. I would guess that that technology is gonna be on the battlefield very soon if it's not there already. Drone with AI is on a particular round, shown up. They are present. There is some fire to AI that would recognize some targets, but it wouldn't recognize example right target or on. It's very good at your glasses vehicle, but it is not good enough to know is it enemy or not, and there's a problem. So network entrance, trying to get the right weapon I mean, right model should say they are trying to to study this model correctly. Paradise is the call sign of a man named Alexander, a Ukrainian drone specialist serving with the Azov corps of the Ukrainian National Guard. Azov began in 2014 as a volunteer battalion. It drew international notoriety for its links to far right movements and was later incorporated into Ukraine's National Guard where it has grown in one of the country's most prominent combat formations. Paradise joined in 2023 and now works in an r and d unit developing drone technology near the front. I spoke with him remotely about jamming, autonomous navigation, AI target recognition, and how drones are rapidly reshaping the battlefield and the future of warfare. First of all, I wanted to ask you about the history of Azov when you joined, when Azov started using technology. I'm I was joined to Azov in, 2023, And, work only with drones is the different kinds of drones. If we are talking about Azure, as in all the best usage of, drones in Azure was, like, in 2017. They was used to, reconnaissance firstly and then to strike some bombs. To strike, like, drones as anti drone warfare. Is that what you mean? They he was used to hit different kinds of targets as a fast forward was used as reconnaissance drones. So you can just be in some kind of and, use him when we when you can even see your enemy in with your own eyes. But it gives you a a good angle to view what what is going on on the enemy side. Right. But the war didn't start. The invasion didn't happen until 2022. So in 2017, where were you using this? Actually, it started in 2014 for us. Actually, even on YouTube, you can find the video with Russian regular army in the escalation. So it's was used to with, the same enemy from, 2014. I see. Yeah. In Donetsk. That was started with, home own made drones. Then when, some kind of fun DJI phantoms arrived, guys tried to use them. And, as I know, they were glad that it gives good possibility to for for …