---
title: "Drone Finds and Destroys Its Target on Its Own: Ukraine Conducts Large-Scale Tests of AI Terminal Guidance for Multirotor UAVs"
description: "Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and Brave1 conducted the first large-scale test of AI terminal guidance modules for multirotor drones: six of seven companies passed the test on autonomous destruction of moving targets."
date: 2026-09-08T13:56:02.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ai-terminal-guidance-drones-ukraine-brave1-test
tags: [ai-drones, ukraine-defense, fpv-drones, brave1, autonomous-guidance]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Drone Finds and Destroys Its Target on Its Own: Ukraine Conducts Large-Scale Tests of AI Terminal Guidance for Multirotor UAVs

![Multirotor UAV with an under-fuselage mounted munition during AI target-homing tests in Ukraine](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/08/ii-donavedenie-dronov-ukraina-test-brave1/ii-donavedenie-dronov-ukraina-test-brave1-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Since the beginning of 2026, the number of targets destroyed using AI terminal guidance in Ukraine has grown roughly tenfold.
- In the first large-scale test under a unified scenario, six of seven companies autonomously hit a moving target and received procurement recommendations.
- Autonomous guidance technology is also being deployed on "Shahed" interceptors and in modular FPV drones with variable frequencies.

The number of enemy targets destroyed using artificial intelligence for terminal guidance in Ukraine has grown roughly tenfold since the beginning of 2026. Against this backdrop, Brave1, together with the Main Directorate of Armaments and Military Equipment of the Ministry of Defense, carried out the first large-scale test of automatic terminal guidance modules against moving ground targets, with all participants operating under a single unified scenario. According to the organizers, the initiative is aimed at rolling out AI- and computer-vision-based automatic terminal guidance technologies as widely as possible across military units, turning autonomous guidance from an experimental feature into a standard element of combat employment of unmanned systems.

### A Unified Scenario: Two Kilometers and an Autonomous Strike

The tests involved multirotor drones starting from 10 inches in size with a payload of at least 2 kg. Under the scenario, the drone had to fly a distance of 2 kilometers, lock onto a moving target from a range of more than 500 meters, and destroy it fully autonomously — without any intervention from the pilot, who removed his hands from the controller at the moment of the attack. This approach made it possible to verify not merely "assistance" to the operator, but the system's actual ability to track a target on its own and complete the strike, which is a key requirement for use in conditions where the link to the operator may be lost or overloaded.

### Results: Six of Seven Companies Passed the Test

Each participating team was allowed up to three attempts, and the test was considered successful if the target was hit at least twice out of three. As a result of the testing, six of the seven participating companies successfully completed the scenario and received recommendations for the procurement of the corresponding modules. The organizers emphasized that the strict "two out of three" threshold was chosen to separate reliably working solutions from demonstration prototypes capable of hitting a target only under ideal conditions. Receiving procurement recommendations means that the tested modules can be included in actual supply deliveries to units.

### "Shahed" Interceptors Reach a New Level of Autonomy

The topic of autonomous AI terminal guidance in 2026 is going beyond ground strike drones and is actively developing in other segments of unmanned systems. In particular, interceptor drones used to counter "Shaheds" are increasingly relying on an automatic terminal guidance system: once the operator locks onto the target, the interceptor heads toward the enemy drone on its own. This allows the aircraft to reach the target even in difficult weather conditions, under active electronic warfare (EW) interference, or in the event of human error, which is critically important for air defense amid mass drone attacks.

### Modular FPV and Adaptability to the Front

During a recent online demonstration of defense technologies by Brave1, manufacturers presented a range of new solutions for FPV drones, including terminal guidance and target-recognition modules, as well as the first modular FPV drones with variable frequencies and blocks. This architecture allows the aircraft to be quickly adapted to the changing situation at the front — switching the frequency band when countering EW or reconfiguring the blocks for a specific task. Taken together, these solutions point to a shift from individual "smart" modules toward a flexible platform ecosystem, in which autonomous guidance becomes a standard option rather than an experimental add-on.

### Who Makes the Decision to Engage

Brave1 specifically emphasized that the decision to use the automatic terminal guidance function during specific missions will be made by the military personnel themselves. Thus, the technology is positioned as a tool that expands the operator's capabilities, not as a system that makes combat decisions on its own. This caveat is important from the standpoint of the doctrine of employment: autonomy is limited to the guidance phase after a human has locked onto the target, which preserves the military's final control over the strike.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Drone Finds and Destroys Its Target on Its Own: Ukraine Conducts First Large-Scale Test of AI Terminal Guidance](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/dron-sam-znahodit-i-znishchue-tsil-ukrayini-1788875622.html) - Подтверждает проведение первого масштабного испытания ИИ-донаведения и автономное поражение цели.
- [Ministry of Defense and Brave1 Test Drones with AI Terminal Guidance](https://investigator.org.ua/news-2/novosti-vlast/286241/) - Подтверждает участие Минобороны и Brave1 в испытаниях дронов с ИИ-донаведением.
- [Drones Begin Shooting Down "Shaheds" Almost Autonomously: How Terminal Guidance Works on Interceptors](https://delo.ua/ru/news/drony-nacinayut-sbivat-saxedy-pocti-samostoyatelno-kak-rabotaet-donavedenie-na-perexvatcikax-465678/) - Подтверждает применение автоматического донаведения на перехватчиках «Шахедов» и автономное завершение перехвата.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What scenario was built into the AI terminal guidance test?
**A:** The drone had to fly 2 km, lock onto a moving target from a range of more than 500 meters, and destroy it fully autonomously, without the pilot's intervention, who removed his hands from the controller.

### Q: How many companies passed the test?
**A:** Six of the seven participating companies successfully passed the test (hitting the target at least twice out of three attempts) and received procurement recommendations.

### Q: Who makes the decision to use the guidance function in combat?
**A:** The decision to use the automatic terminal guidance function in specific missions is made by the military personnel themselves, not by the system.