When Google's former CEO Eric Schmidt, whose company builds drones for Ukraine, suggested US Army to give away tanks, and ...
On June 1, 2025, Ukraine launched a sweeping drone offensive, codenamed
Operation Spiderweb
targeting Russian air bases housing nuclear-capable long-range bombers. Over 100 drones struck facilities across Russia, from Murmansk above the Arctic Circle to the Amur region, 8,000 kilometers from Ukraine. The operation, marked by explosions across multiple time zones, underscored the growing role of drones in modern warfare.
Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative in Saudi Arabia, in November 2024, Schmidt urged the U.S. to rethink its military priorities, suggesting it replace traditional tank fleets with advanced drones. 'I read somewhere that the U.S. had thousands of tanks stored somewhere. Give them away. Buy a drone instead,' he said, citing Ukraine's success in using affordable drones to counter Russia's numerical and air superiority. Schmidt's advocacy draws from his leadership of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, which in 2021 concluded that AI would transform warfare across all domains.
Building drones for Ukraine to take on Russia
The attack highlights a strategic shift advocated by former
Google
CEO
Eric Schmidt
, who has emerged as a key figure in integrating AI-driven technology into military strategy. Schmidt, founder of the military startup White Stork, is developing AI-powered "
Kamikaze drones
" for Ukraine. These drones, designed to loiter and strike targets autonomously, can operate in GPS-denied environments, making them ideal for Ukraine's battlefield needs. Named after a bird common in Ukraine, White Stork's drones aim to counter Russian forces by destroying high-value targets like tanks, which Schmidt notes can be neutralized by a $5,000 drone despite costing millions.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Thị trường có dấu hiệu suy thoái không?
IC Markets
Đăng ký
Undo
In a 2023 Wall Street Journal op-ed, Schmidt called Kamikaze drones—costing as little as $400 and carrying small explosives—'the most important' innovation for defeating Russia and future adversaries. Ukraine's recent operation exemplifies this vision, showcasing how drones can strike deep into enemy territory, reshaping the battlefield.
Since leaving Google in 2018, where he served as CEO from 2001 to 2011 and later as executive chairman of Alphabet, Schmidt has bridged Silicon Valley and the Pentagon, championing AI-driven defense solutions. His work with White Stork and his public statements signal a broader push for militaries worldwide to embrace autonomous technology as the future of warfare.
AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru stampede: Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy blames DK Shivakumar for tragic incident
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Wednesday blamed Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar for the stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The tragic incident claimed the lives of 11 people and injured 30 others. Kumaraswamy alleged that the incident was caused by the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister's "impatience, immaturity, and irresponsibility." In a late night press conference at his official residence in New Delhi , the union minister demanded that "the person responsible for this tragedy must be immediately sacked from the cabinet." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo He further criticised the Congress government in Karnataka as being run by "arrogant fools" and said, "We have a Chief Minister who is completely inactive. He has no control over the Deputy CM. As for the State Home Minister, there's no point in discussing it. He merely obeys commands." About the government's felicitation event outside Vidhana Soudha, Kumaraswamy said, "While four people lay dead in a stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium, DK Shivakumar continued with the felicitation ceremony as if nothing had happened. How else do you describe such a government other than calling it an arrogant one?" Live Events He also criticised the ceremony for being organised hastily. "On Tuesday night, the team won the IPL trophy. What was the rush to organise a felicitation event immediately? Who invited the team? Why this urgency? Everyone knows the role the Deputy CM played in all this," he stated. "Who rushed to the airport on Wednesday morning to receive the team? Who turned it into an event? It was just the Deputy CM and his entourage. Was this the DK Shivakumar RCB team?" Kumaraswamy questioned sarcastically. "Why hold two separate events? One program, well-organised with proper preparation, would have been enough. There should have been appropriate security and caution. Instead, everything was rushed simply to glorify himself. As a result of this recklessness, sports fans lost their lives," he said. Kumaraswamy criticised the deputy chief minister's conduct at the stadium and said, "After his show at Vidhana Soudha, the Deputy CM reached the stadium. Right outside the stadium lay the bodies of the deceased. Rather than stopping the event, he walked onto the ground, lifted the trophy, and kissed it. Did he play the match and win the cup himself? Perhaps even the players didn't get the opportunity to touch the trophy. In the midst of deaths, he used RCB's win for his own PR and self-glorification." "This kind of recklessness cannot be tolerated. If the Chief Minister truly has any strength, courage, or leadership, he should start by removing such a person from his cabinet," the Union Minister demanded. Meanwhile, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar complimented the state police force for controlling the massive influx of people during the RCB celebrations. "Again, I'm telling on record. I should compliment my Police also, they wanted to have a procession, they wanted to bring a vehicle from the airport guided us not why I rushed to the airport and ensured nothing went Vidhana Soudha, also we were very cautious...," DK Shivakumar said. "We never expected such an incident to happen. No political party or official wanted this. They did their best, but there was an uncontrollable crowd," he added. Shivakumar also announced postponing all programs except the cabinet meeting on June 5. After the incident, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressed a press conference and said 11 people died and 33 were injured in the Siddaramaiah said that the government will also provide free treatment to the injured. "A major tragedy occurred during the victory celebrations. It happened near the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased. The government will provide free treatment to the injured."
The Hindu
40 minutes ago
- The Hindu
North Korea's Kim says he'll 'unconditionally support' Russia's war against Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told a visiting top Russian official that his country will 'unconditionally support' Russia's war against Ukraine, the North's state media reported on Thursday (June 5, 2025), the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the two nations. In April, the two countries officially confirmed North Korean troops' deployment to Russia for the first time, saying that soldiers of the two countries were fighting alongside each other to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region. At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea's participation in the war and promised not to forget their sacrifices. Also Read | Russia may have helped North Korea with new warship, Seoul says In a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday (June 5, 2025), Mr. Kim affirmed that North Korea will 'unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue,' the official Korean Central News Agency said. The two discussed how to solidify a strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia and reached a consensus on the Ukraine issue and other unspecified international situations, KCNA said. It didn't elaborate. Russia's state Tass news agency, citing the Russian Security Council's press service, reported that Shoigu and Kim also discussed prospects for rebuilding the Kursk region and outlined steps to commemorate the contribution made by North Korean soldiers. Russia claimed in April 2025 that it had fully reclaimed the Kursk region, though Ukraine insists it still has troops present there. Ukraine's top army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reiterated Saturday that Ukrainian forces were still holding territory in Russia's Kursk region. Shoigu last visited North Korea in March for a meeting with Mr. Kim. North Korea and Russia haven't said how many North Korean troops are in Russia. But U.S., South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials earlier said North Korea dispatched 10,000-12,000 troops to Russia last fall in its first participation in a major armed conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korean authorities recently said North Korea sent around 3,000 additional troops to Russia earlier this year. North Korea has been supplying a vast amount of conventional weapons to Russia as well. South Korea, the U.S. and their partners believe Russia has provided economic and military assistance to North Korea in return. They worry Russia might also transfer sophisticated technologies to help North Korea enhance its nuclear weapons program targeting its rivals.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Ukraine's drone attack hit fewer Russian warplanes than claimed, US says
Ukraine's weekend drone attack on Russian air bases hit up to 20 warplanes and destroyed around 10, according to US officials. While this is lower than Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's estimate, Washington still called the strike "highly significant."Zelenskyy had told reporters earlier on Wednesday that 41 Russian aircraft had been hit and that more than half were likely beyond repair. The US assessment cuts that number roughly in half but doesn't downplay the operation's impact, according to officials who spoke to was a major strike,' one official said, adding that the attack could harden Moscow's stance in US-brokered negotiations to end the war, now entering its fourth year. Ukraine said it launched 117 drones from containers positioned near four Russian air bases in a complex operation dubbed "Spider's Web." The Ukrainian military released dramatic footage showing drones striking Russian strategic bombers and even landing on the dome antennas of two A-50 military surveillance aircraft — rare and high-value assets in Russia's Vladimir Putin, in a call with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, warned that Russia 'would have to respond' to the attack, according to a Trump post on social media."It was a good conversation," Trump said, "but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace."The incident has triggered new tensions between nuclear powers. Russia urged the US and UK to rein in Kyiv following the assault, highlighting the precarious balance between military support and strategic escalation. Together, the US and Russia hold about 88 per cent of the world's nuclear United States says it was not given any notice by Kyiv ahead of the attack. The war in Ukraine is intensifying despite nearly four months of efforts by Trump, who says he wants peace after the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War domestic security agency, the SBU, said the damage to Russia caused by the operation amounted to USD 7 billion, and 34 per cent of the strategic cruise missile carriers at Russia's main airfields were Defence Ministry has acknowledged that Ukraine targeted airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions and were repelled in the last three locations. It has also said several aircraft caught fire in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions.(With inputs from Reuters)Tune InMust Watch
