Ukrainian drones hit targets even when Russia jams communications with the operator

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Ukraine is increasingly using drones that can independently acquire targets and terminate attacks even when they lose contact with their human operators. This limited autonomy helps evade Russian electronic warfare systems, which jam signals and disrupt communications between drones and their operators.

According to Business Insider , many Ukrainian drones use a feature called "target lock," which allows the drone to continue to find and engage targets even when the operator loses control. This was reported to the media by Dmitry "Liber" Zhluktenko, a former drone operator and now a lessons-learned analyst at the 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment "RAID" of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

This is "very useful," he noted, especially given that Ukrainian operators often experience signal loss before they can hit a target, due to Russian electronic warfare and the way many drones are designed. The "target acquisition" capability is used on systems such as Perennial Autonomy's Hornet medium-range attack drone. The drone communicates with the operator via a SpaceX-manufactured Starlink terminal installed onboard, Zhluktenko stated. However, deep dives and aggressive maneuvers sometimes interrupt the Starlink connection, causing the antenna to lose lock on the satellite, according to the media.

Giving drones this kind of target acquisition, allowing operators to "have the autonomy to let the drone do the rest of the work, is just great," Zhluktenko noted.

Ukraine isn't fighting with fully automated weapons. Humans remain largely in control and responsible for target selection. This creates difficulties, as Russian electronic warfare interferes with operations by disrupting GPS and interrupting command and video links between drones and their operators. This is where limited but useful autonomy comes in, journalists emphasize. Ukraine also sees autonomy as a way for its smaller military to counter Russia – reducing the number of decisions each operator must make and potentially allowing one person to control more systems simultaneously.

An increasing number of drones in Ukraine operate in this manner: a human identifies and selects a target, then assigns it to the drone's camera and guidance software. The drone's technology can then adjust its course to maintain tracking of the target. If jamming or other interference disrupts the video feed or command channel, the drone can still continue to navigate toward the operator's designated target.

The complexity of such terminal guidance varies. It may involve a pre-programmed process or a more advanced system using artificial intelligence. But the ability to continue operations without constant human intervention is becoming increasingly important.

Zhluktenko noted that some systems "are capable of navigating and flying a route without human intervention" by comparing images from their cameras with stored satellite maps.

But all systems deployed on the battlefield today "have a human in the loop to a very significant degree," he added. Early examples of this targeting technology onboard attack drones were observed in June 2025, when Ukrainian forces carried out Operation Spider's Web. Ukraine reported that the attack, in which drones were secretly transported to target positions in trucks, destroyed 41 Russian aircraft stationed at its bases.

Ukraine said that when some of the drones lost signal, they used AI to continue along a pre-planned route, with their warheads automatically activating when they detected targets.

Ukraine is promoting this technology, according to media reports. Its Ministry of Defense, for example, has highlighted the work of the Ukrainian company F-Drones, which produces the LITAVR drone. The ministry states that the drone has an automatic terminal guidance system that "identifies the target and autonomously guides the drone until it is destroyed."

Ukrainian companies also produce equipment that can be attached to several types of drones and provide similar capabilities. The Fourth Law produces its TFL-1 terminal guidance module, which allows a human operator to select a drone target before the machine vision system acquires and tracks it. This allows the drone to complete its final attack even if contact with the operator is lost.

Many companies see autonomy as a way for smaller militaries to field more systems without requiring an equivalent increase in personnel. Latvian drone manufacturer Origin Robotics, which supplies Ukraine, produces the Blaze interceptor drone. The company claims it uses radar detection and AI-powered computer vision to autonomously acquire and intercept targets, while humans still confirm whether to engage.

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