New US AI system can neutralise 50 enemy drones without firing

US defense contractor Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new AI-powered anti-drone system designed to automatically hunt and destroy enemy drone swarms. CEO Jim Taiclet said the Sanctum system can detect incoming drones, assess their threat level, and predict their movement trajectory before interception or neutralisation. “We have integrated various technologies into our system,” Taiclet told FOX Business recently. He added that the technology is designed to counter modern warfare threats increasingly dominated by cheap drones and swarming unmanned aerial vehicles. Taiclet explained that the AI-powered Sanctum system enables air defence to respond more quickly and efficiently to multiple targets simultaneously. “This technology can essentially destroy ballistic missiles threatening civilians, military bases, and our allies,” he said. In addition to Sanctum, Lockheed Martin is developing the MORFIUS system, an interceptor drone capable of approaching small enemy drones and disabling them with high-powered microwave pulses. The technology allows a single system to engage multiple drones in one operation without firing conventional missiles. “The AI-assisted drones we have developed enable us to neutralise up to 50 different drones in a single mission without firing any weapons,” Taiclet said. Lockheed Martin has partnered with Nvidia to support the development of the AI technology, with the chipmaker supplying graphics processing units (GPUs) for national security AI systems. Alongside developing new technology, Lockheed Martin is also modifying older weapon systems to counter drone threats at lower cost. One such modification involves converting the Hellfire missile, typically used as an air-to-ground weapon on Apache helicopters, into a ground-to-air interceptor to destroy enemy drones.