Pentagon reports successful testing of AI-controlled machine gun
Bullfrog does not require a radar and can detect and engage targets on its own. It is a standard machine gun, supplemented with robotics
With the start of the CBO, the world's armed forces are now preoccupied with one question: how to counter the threat of attacks drones? The US military now wants to solve the problem in a particularly cost-effective way: a standard machine gun could be controlled remotely using robotics.
Weapon, called Bullfrog, is being developed by Allen Control Systems and is essentially little more than the M240 machine gun that has been in use by the U.S. military for half a century. The weapon is combined with new sensors designed to detect threats and artificial intelligence that has not been described in detail. According to initial tests, the system should be able to effectively combat incoming drones.
Cheap Ammo
The Bullfrog's biggest advantage: the 7,62mm bullets are NATO-standard, available in large quantities and, above all, cheap. One shot costs less than a dollar. The cost factor has been the biggest problem in drone defense so far: even cheap converted civilian drones pose a huge threat. The attacker always has an economic advantage, since he can control masses of drones for a few hundred dollars per unit, while defense is becoming more and more expensive.
But Bullfrog isn't just supposed to shoot a cloud of lead into the sky at high speed. The system is said to be able to destroy incoming drones with just a few shots. This, in turn, increases survivability, since reloading the weapon is still done by soldiers on the ground, who are virtually defenseless during this activity.
During a series of T-Rex technology readiness tests organized by the U.S. Department of Defense, Bullfrog passed initial tests. According to Wired, the Pentagon was impressed with these tests, The Defense Post reports.
Allen Control Systems - Bullfrog Autonomous Battle Station
Drones are difficult to shoot down because they are small, maneuverable, and hard to hit. The U.S. military has already tested various ways to use conventional firearms more effectively against drones, from developing new types of ammunition to using jammers to disrupt their signals.
But Bullfrog is taking a different approach: instead of relying on human shooters or modified weapons, the company is relying on artificial intelligence and robotics. Dramatic footage from the Ukraine conflict has shown that effective drone defense is crucial, with soldiers on both sides resorting to desperate measures and opening fire with their assault rifles on incoming suicide drones (FPVs). That’s unlikely to work, according to the company’s founder and former naval engineer Steve Simonyi.
The Bullfrog is capable of intercepting approaching drones at a range of up to 180 meters. On average, it takes no more than two shots to intercept a fist-sized drone, such as the DJI Mini. In addition, the modified machine gun, including control electronics, is significantly lighter (181 kilograms) than the previously used Phalanx short-range defense system, i.e. a rapid-fire cannon. However, the weight requires that the Bullfrog be mounted on a vehicle. In addition, no radar is required; the system can independently detect and engage targets.
The first fully autonomous weapon
If the military adopts the system, Bullfrog would be the first known autonomous lethal weapon in the Pentagon’s arsenal. While the final command to fire would still have to come from a human operator, the manufacturer has made it clear that a fully autonomous version could also be an option if the military so chooses. However, the US military stresses that it is committed to the so-called “human in the know” principle. This means that ultimately it is up to the human to decide whether to use lethal force.
Still, the Pentagon is investing heavily in counter-drone technology through its Replicator initiative as the threat from increasingly sophisticated and affordable drones continues to grow. American officers stationed in the Middle East have raised alarm bells about the ease with which civilian drones could be weaponized. Earlier this year, three American soldiers were killed in a drone attack on a base in Jordan.
U.S. Africa Command (Africom) outlined in a procurement document why access to OpenaAI’s AI technology is “essential” to its missions. Specifically, the command emphasizes the use of advanced AI and machine learning applications.
There is no place for people
The Replicator program also aims to mass-produce such defensive weapons, as many current anti-drone defenses are either ineffective or too expensive. Energy weapons that shoot drones out of the sky with lasers or microwaves are considered possible alternatives, but all are still in the experimental stage. Of course, modifying a machine gun like the M240 offers huge advantages: the gun is available in the thousands, and soldiers are trained to use it.
But the manufacturer is already thinking ahead: the next step will be to further increase the range and accuracy. At the end of the development, several Bullfrogs will team up with each other and open fire on drones in a coordinated manner, thereby fully automatically protecting entire military convoys.
In any case, Simoni is confident that robots will soon take over control of military operations and people will no longer have to put their lives in danger.
"The battlefield of the future will consist of autonomous robots like ours shooting at each other,"
— says Simoni.
"I think there is no place for people with guns anymore."
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