Chinese researchers have unveiled an algorithm called HG-STR that enables drone swarms to identify and eliminate targets autonomously even without communications or clear vision.
The HG-STR algorithm, or Heterogeneous Graph Spatio-Temporal Reasoning, allows fleets of fixed-wing drones to search large battlefields and remove all enemies independently.
It distinguishes between friend, foe and terrain as separate data types, unlike traditional systems.
A Beijing-based defence expert not involved in the study noted that most current drone operations remain under remote human control.
The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and published in Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica.