Czech Volunteers Supply Ukraine’s Armed Forces With AI-Enabled ARCZ08X Drones

Czech volunteers have supplied the Armed Forces of Ukraine with ARCZ08X FPV drones equipped with artificial intelligence and enhanced targeting capabilities, the Czech outlet Armadni Noviny reports.

The ARCZ08X can operate in environments heavily affected by electronic warfare.

Its onboard AI allows it to continue toward its target autonomously even if communication with the operator is lost.

The drone is capable of independently locating, identifying, and engaging targets.

The drone uses one or two miniaturized onboard computers to analyze data from its cameras. It offers three modes of operation:

1. LMT (Last Mile Target): The operator manually selects a target for the drone to lock onto.
2. Semi-automatic: The AI suggests potential targets, and the operator chooses one.
3. Full AI: The system autonomously selects a target based on predefined parameters. This mode is still in active development and testing.

Aerorozvědka is also trialing specialized target recognition profiles, including:

• Tank: Identifies armored vehicles with large-caliber guns.
• IFV: Detects infantry fighting vehicles.
• Supply: Prioritizes logistical trucks for strikes.

According to Armadni Noviny, the LMT mode is the only fully operational setting currently seeing use in combat.

The ARCZ08X is a quadcopter with an X-frame design capable of carrying various payloads. Its predecessor, the ARCZ08, is already in widespread use by Ukrainian forces and has recorded confirmed battlefield kills. Notably, drone operators from Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade successfully struck a lightly armored vehicle near a gas station outside Belgorod from a range of 18 km.

Beyond combat missions, the drone has also proven effective for logistical tasks. In one documented case, an ARCZ08 delivered ammunition, water, and food to Ukrainian troops who had been besieged for 70 days.

Editor’s Perspective

Jan Grohmann, editor-in-chief of Armadni Noviny, told Militarnyi that the ARCZ08X is the first Aerorozvědka drone equipped with a Last Mile Targeting system.

“The concept is designed to provide autonomous terminal guidance using AI. But in practice, the LMT system is still limited by the challenge of training AI in the unpredictable and dynamic conditions of the battlefield, as well as by the drone’s limited onboard computing power,” Grohmann explained.

He noted that the ARCZ08X remains more of an experimental platform with high potential rather than a system in widespread deployment.

“There is interest in forming joint ventures with Ukrainian manufacturers,” Grohmann added. “It’s difficult to gauge how strong that interest is, but cooperation with Czech producers could be appealing to Ukraine. We’re not as small as the Baltic states, yet not so large as to impose political preconditions on collaboration.”