As part of the “Artemis” program, the US military is vigorously developing a low-cost long-range kamikaze attack drone. Two Ukrainian drone companies have been uncommonly absorbed into high-tech teams in the United States dedicated to this challenging new technology development.
The Artemis program was launched in 2024 to assess the prospect of using economical one-way drones (also known as kamikaze drones) for long-range precision strikes, which was initiated in response to requests from the European and Indo-Pacific Command.
On March 14, the Department of Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) at the Pentagon announced that four contracts have been signed under the Artemis program for drone prototype design. These designs will be evaluated under relevant operational conditions, with the goal of completion before the end of this year.
Two contracts were awarded to US drone manufacturers Aerovironment and Dragoon Technologies. The other two contracts were awarded to two Ukrainian drone companies favored by US software companies Auterion and Swan. These Ukrainian companies will showcase their long-range one-way drone designs to the US military. For security reasons, the names of these two Ukrainian companies were not disclosed by the US.
Established a decade ago, DIU’s mission is to help the US military meet various military requirements using improved commercial technology.
DIU is collaborating with the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S) to execute the 2024 fiscal year budget projects. These projects guide testing of operational platforms in complex electromagnetic (EW) and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) affected environments. The aim is to provide long-distance standoff munitions in complex electromagnetic environments that are suitable for large-scale deployment.
Over the past four months, DIU, along with A&S, has evaluated numerous proposals related to the Artemis program and identified project groups that have entered the operational assessment phase. The main goal is to develop an affordable attack drone capable of conducting remote attack missions in complex electromagnetic environments. According to the US Defense Intelligence Agency, flight demonstrations have been conducted on the selected platforms from the chosen companies to confirm the basic capabilities of these prototypes. The prototype design acceptance plan is scheduled to be completed by the end of May this year, followed by testing and system integration for successful prototypes by 2026.
DIU has set forth a set of core tactical technical requirements for this new drone platform, to be a ground-launched, low-cost one-way unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platform with an operational range between 50 and 300 kilometers or even greater. It should be capable of rapid launch, low-altitude navigation, carrying various effective payloads, rapid updates and upgrades, and operating in disrupted, disconnected, intermittent, or Global Navigation Satellite System-denied environments at low altitudes. These core requirements from DIU appear to have drawn on the actual combat experience of the Ukrainian conflict to some extent.
Each of these individual technical requirements may not be novel in themselves, but combining these capabilities seamlessly within cost constraints would be a highly challenging and commendable achievement. It is likely to change the game rules on future battlefields.
It is noteworthy that the boundaries between these long-range kamikaze drones and traditional cruise missiles are becoming increasingly blurred. However, drone systems offer greater versatility and development potential compared to cruise missiles. The requirement for drone systems by DIU, including the ability to carry various effective payloads, means they can adapt to other roles besides being used as loitering munitions, such as carrying electronic warfare systems as decoys, utilizing various sensors for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, or serving as communication relays.
In fact, Springknife-600 loitering munitions from the US company Aerovironment has already partially met DIU’s requirements. The company has become a major supplier to the US military and other global users, including Ukraine. Last year, the company signed a nearly $1 billion contract with the US Army to provide Springknife-300 and Springknife-600. However, DIU’s requirements in terms of cost and range far exceed the capabilities of the Springknife-600.
The Springknife-600 has a range of only a few tens of kilometers, while the loitering munitions requested by DIU can reach up to 300 kilometers, surpassing even the range of existing tactical missiles in the US military arsenal. Tactical missiles from the US in support of Ukraine have been one of the most effective weapons against Russian targets in depth, but their use within Russia has been strictly limited by the US and there is no indication yet whether these restrictions have been or will be lifted. It can be imagined that if Ukraine possesses the ability for large-scale domestic production of such weapons, it will have a profound impact on the battlefield.
Numerous Ukrainian drone companies have successfully demonstrated various long-range attack drones in the ongoing conflict with Russia, including various types driven by rotor, propeller, and jet engines. Some of these drones have ranges that exceed the requirements of the Artemis program, and have been used in actual combat to target Russian air bases, oil and gas infrastructure, and other strategic targets within Russia, showing good combat effectiveness.
The Russia-Ukraine war has also highlighted the impact of GPS interference/deception and electronic warfare on the modern battlefield, especially on drones. The competition between Russia and Ukraine in the drone field has been driving rapid technological and tactical updates, with both sides using electronic countermeasures to disrupt the communication and navigation systems of the other’s drones, causing these attack drones to lose control or inaccurately hit targets. Eventually, the Russian military even began using a large number of line-of-sight drones to evade interference, but due to their short range, they could only be used at close range on the front line.
The US Defense Intelligence Agency stated that the objectives of the Artemis program directly correlate with observations of current operational conditions and feedback from the ultimate end users at the Department of Defense, reflecting the capabilities required to address nearly peer-level threats globally.
The Artemis program also reflects the US military’s internal deliberations on how to address new wartime environments, prompting the US military to plan for remote ammunition depots and relatively fast and economical ammunition supply capabilities. The rapid expenditure of ammunition on the Ukrainian battlefield has made the US realize the importance of low-cost off-shore ammunition in fully meeting battlefield ammunition requirements, especially in potential high-end conflicts with China in the Indo-Pacific region, where maintaining sufficient depth of ammunition stores and timely large-scale ammunition replenishment capabilities are particularly crucial.
As a result, the US seems to have significantly expanded the selection scope of such ammunition suppliers. The inclusion of two Ukrainian companies in the ranks of US suppliers for new weapon systems can be seen as a sign of these efforts. Project leaders at DIU believe that the addition of these non-traditional foreign companies brings about a low-cost, highly adaptable, long-range drone system platform that maximally enhances the operational flexibility of joint forces, and provides weapons and ammunition to operational personnel at a faster pace and scale than traditional methods.
At a conference hosted by the Air Force Association (AFA) Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in July last year, former US Air Forces in Europe and Africa commander James Hecker said that from Ukraine and Russia, it is evident that many cheap systems can achieve intricate technologies, and NATO countries are willing to build such systems… because they cannot afford very sophisticated ones. Sometimes, these inexpensive systems can actually accomplish the same tasks. Moreover, when combined with high-end systems, these drones may outperform sophisticated equipment.
The unprecedented absorption of Ukrainian suppliers into the Artemis program highlights the significant impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on the global military landscape. Additionally, the US military is proactively preparing for potential high-end conflicts with China in the Indo-Pacific region, realizing the importance of economies of scale in weapons and ammunition in future conflicts.