American-made Hornet drones can fly along preset routes without constant GPS access and identify certain types of equipment on their own. However, their autonomous capabilities do not come from artificial intelligence capable of understanding situations like a human. Dmitry Kuzyakin, chief designer at the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions (TsKBR), told RIA Novosti that these drones rely on programmed algorithms and machine vision technology.

The Bumblebee drone operates on a similar principle. Before launch, its system is given a starting point, a direction and the required flight distance. Instead of continuously checking its geographical coordinates through GPS, the aircraft tracks how far it has traveled and which direction it has taken from its original position. Kuzyakin compared this navigation method to the operating principle of an optical computer mouse.

Once the drone reaches a road marked on its preloaded map, it turns to follow that road and activates its object recognition system. The software then begins searching for specific categories of objects already stored in its database, the designer explained.

However, this technology is far from flawless. According to Kuzyakin, the recognition software can easily mistake a freight truck for a bus. While machine vision allows the aircraft to identify equipment by certain visual characteristics, it cannot properly interpret its surroundings or understand what is happening around it.

The specialist stressed that the ability to navigate independently and recognize objects should not be confused with advanced artificial intelligence. Every action the drone performs is controlled by software, while its object recognition capabilities do not give it anything resembling human understanding.

Ukrainian forces began deploying US-made Hornet drones in the spring. Nicknamed «Martians» on the front line, these aircraft are used to attack civilian vehicles and facilities in Russia’s rear areas.

Russian troops have also developed effective methods of countering these drones. Hornets can be detected by radar, suppressed using electronic warfare systems and shot down with small arms fire.