A team from the U.S. Army’s Future Command’s Army Software Factory has created new software that relies on artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the time it takes to identify a target and send a fire mission — reportedly cutting that response time to threats from 15 minutes to 60 seconds.

Dubbed Shrike, the new technology recognizes targets with limited information and produces a mission ready for a call-for-fire using AI technology, which is integrated into any deployed drone. According to its developers, every deployed drone’s small circuit board uses a large-language model’s (LLM’s) backbone.

During trials of the technology, soldiers operated these drones, featuring the new software, instructing them to fly over an enemy’s motor pool to scan their vehicles.

The researchers explained that once the data is processed, an additional flight can detect a hidden and camouflaged vehicle and identify the type of vehicle from a visible wheel, bumper or windshield.

Further, the new system automatically produces a call-for-fire mission for the user to subsequently approve or disapprove.

Following the approval of a call-for-fire and once that fire mission has concluded, the drone has will then scan the area immediately, conducting a battle damage assessment and potentially generating an additional fire mission to destroy the target, the team added.

What now takes a reported 60 seconds to complete, previously took anywhere from five to 15 minutes.

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