Ukraine First to Deploy Quantum Systems’ Vector AI Drones With Advanced Acoustic Artillery Detection

German drone manufacturer Quantum Systems has provided Ukraine with the advanced Vector AI drone, featuring artificial intelligence and an acoustic artillery detection system.

Quantum Systems co-founder Florian Seibel reported about this on LinkedIn.

The cutting-edge Vector AI drone, designed for reconnaissance, also offers the capability to detect enemy artillery fire. Its artificial intelligence efficiently processes data to accurately identify and locate artillery positions.

The acoustic sensor used on the drone, WASP (Weles Acoustic Sensor Payload), was developed by the Polish manufacturer Weles Acoustics – a subsidiary of Quantum Systems.

“Acoustic sensors have reached the Ukrainian front. Vector AI is capable of determining the direction and distance of artillery fire and offers a flight duration of up to 4 hours,” said Florian Seibel, founder and co-CEO of Quantum Systems.

According to the company, the sensor, weighing around 150 grams, can detect artillery fire from up to 15 km away. Gunfire can be detected at distances of up to 2.5 km.

Meanwhile, the director of Quantum Systems’ Ukrainian office, Oleksandr Berezhnyi, told Militarnyi that the equipment used on Vector AI consisted of serial models and was undergoing a series of tests at Ukrainian military training grounds and during combat missions, where the software was further refined.

Regarding the use of this acoustic system, Berezhnyi noted:

“The tests we are conducting with the acoustic sensor are specifically aimed at showcasing to the military command the additional capabilities of Quantum Systems’ products for potential follow-up orders.”

In addition, Quantum Systems, aside from integrating the WASP acoustic stations onto the Vector drones, has also integrated them onto the Twister models.

“Currently, the solution has been integrated with both the Vector and Twister drones. In the future, all of the company’s products will support the capability to carry this payload,” said Oleksandr Berezhnyi, director of Quantum Systems’ Ukrainian office.

According to the company representative, the claimed detection accuracy is 85 points (5 degrees) at a range of 5 km, which is more than sufficient for approximate target identification.

According to Hartpunkt, Quantum Systems is working on automating the functionality so that the drone’s electro-optics would automatically direct the camera toward the source of the detected shot. However, it is currently unclear whether this feature has already been implemented on the drones currently deployed on the front lines.

Militarnyi previously reported that the German company Quantum Systems would start producing Twister drones at its Ukrainian facilities – just four months after the drone’s initial presentation.

According to the developers, the drone has an operational range of up to 15 kilometers, within which it can operate for up to 90 minutes. It can be deployed and ready for action in just 2 minutes.

The standard version of Twister is equipped with the Nighthawk2 optical module, featuring both daytime and thermal imaging channels. However, this module can be swapped out in the field without significant modifications to the UAV’s structure.

Another key feature of the drone is its ability to relay signals, thereby extending the operational range of other Quantum Systems UAVs, including the widely used Vector drones in the Ukrainian military.