New videos hint that Ukraine may be using a new type of AI-enabled guidance to multiply the power of its attack drones. A Leader-Follower architecture allows one operator to guide multiple drones onto a target, hitting exactly the same spot in rapid succession.

Ukraine produces vast numbers of FPV drones, aiming for a staggering 7 million in 2026. With a limited number of operators available, getting those FPVs onto targets fast enough can be a challenge. Leader-Follower technology changes that, so that rather than firing single rounds an operator can hit a target with a Gatling Gun burst of rapid FPV strikes.

The first video from Spetember 2 shows three FPV drones attacking a Russian infantryman in the Pokrovsk sector. On a closer look, one drone comes in fast on the right-hand side of the screen and strikes first, beating the two coming in from the left to the target. What is interesting here is that the second drone on the left appears to be following exactly the same path as the one ahead at the same altitude and speed but about twenty feet behind.

The second video from Sep 3 shows FPV drones from the 22nd Mechanized Brigade hitting a Russian artillery piece near Shyrokyi in the Belgorod region. The 2S43 Malva howitzer is mounted on an 8x8 truck more than 40 feet long and 10 feet wide. The video shows hits by seven FPVs, plus a closing shot by an eighth FPV circling round the smoking wreck.

What is interesting are the first hits which come in quick succession, and in particular around 0:06-0:07 when an FPV can be seen following the previous one just a fraction of a second ahead. After that, the drones approach individually and slowly, some at walking speed, as the FPV operators locate ammunition storage compartments and the cabin and target them to complete destruction of the vehicle.

This is far from conclusive. Maybe Ukrainian FPV pilots like flying in formation. But it suggests that in some cases FPVs are flying in pairs or threes, with the lead drone controlled by the operator and others following automatically.

It often takes several FPVs to destroy large or armored vehicles. While it is possible to convert a Russian T-series tank into a fireball with a single FPV by targeting ammunition storage in the turret rear , these days tanks tend to sport additional armor and additional strikes are needed to get through.

The number of FPVs needed depends on the type of vehicle and the skill of the operator. A personnel carrier may take one or two hits to immobilize and two or three more to destroy. A tank may take seven hits, and “turtle” or “porcupine” tanks can take even more to destroy, as successive FPVs are needed to blast through the outer armor and destroy the vehicle within. A 2025 RUSI report estimates that with sufficient additional armor, 10-15 FPV hits may be needed to stop a tank.

Some commentators argue that this means artillery is still necessary to put down enough weight of fire on advancing armor. An FPV takes several minutes from launch to impact, so the rate of fire may not be enough to stop a determined assault.

Leader-Follower systems potentially change that by delivering multiple hits fast. While this is less sophisticated than other single-operator, multiple-drone solutions, like Ukraine’s Pasika and Swarmer, and the U.S. Nemyx, it may be simpler to put in place and requires less operator training.

The basic technology should not be too difficult to master, as university researchers have been demonstrating similar setups for years. This paper from 2017 describes a functional Leader-Follower setup from 2017 using two quadcopters with consumer Raspberry Pi computers as processors.

Ukrainian developers are known to be working on exactly this type of set-up. A 2025 paper from Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute described a “leader-follower dynamic” with a human-controlled lead FPV and low-cost follower drones. These are equipped with flight controllers to maintain relative positions to the leader. The researchers noted that the followers did not need navigation or advanced sensors, just a camera capable of following the drone in front.

Outside of Ukraine, Spanish drone startup Alpa Systems offers several software configurations including one described as “ Swarm — Guide + Followers: Lead drone sets the trajectory while multiple follower drones replicate the path. Saturates air defenses by overwhelming tracking and intercept capacity with volume .” (There is no evidence Alpa drones are used in Ukraine)

There are a variety of AI-enabled drones in Ukraine with more than enough power for Leader-Follower setups, which only seem to require basic processing. AI developer The Fourth Law announced a partnership with drone makers Vyriy in September 2025 to mass-produce FPVs fitted with the TFL-1 autonomy module. A significant proportion of the tens of thousands of FPVs Vyriy produce monthly now have these modules.

According to Ukrainian technology accelerator BRAVE1, the number of AI-guided FPV strikes has increased by a factor of ten since the start of the year. These will be “target-lock” strikes where the operator locks on to a target and AI completes the last few hundred meters of the mission, making jamming ineffective. But they could also include other uses.

If Leader-Follower setups are being used, it may only be on a small-scale experimental basis. The Leader-Follower setup is a stepping stone between individually-piloted FPVs and more advanced systems in which one operator controls an entire swarm.

Leader-Follower is easier to implement than a swarm, while bringing some of the same advantages. A defender who shoots down the lead drone is still likely to get hit by one following behind. Multiple impacts in the same spot are ideal for breaking through the sort of add-on armor cages and shells often seen on Russian tanks. The disadvantage is that if the lead drone hits a tree two meters from the target, the followers will dutifully strike the same spot.

Swarms are certainly coming. Swarm systems like Auterion’s Nemyx are already operational , but although the company has supplied some 33,000 drone autonomy kits to Ukraine, swarming capability has not yet been activated, as far as we know. Similarly, locally-built Swarmer systems do not seem to have been scaled up yet.

The Leader-Follower FPV might be something like the hand-cranked Gatling gun, giving a greatly improved rate of fire but not as big a game changer as the Maxim gun which followed a few years later.

Leader-Follower may be rapidly eclipsed by later technology. But the simplicity and reliability of this arrangement may establish a niche role for it for years to come as a useful tool for those wishing to give FPVs with small warheads a firepower upgrade.