The Artemis project is testing long-range kamikaze drones, designed by Ukrainian and American companies, to counter electronic warfare.
The Artemis project of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is testing new long-range kamikaze drones, developed in particular by Ukrainian companies in association with American firms. The objective is to identify unidirectional platforms capable of operating between 50 and 300 km, in GNSS jamming and electronic warfare conditions, with costs compatible with mass production. This program is part of an approach to adapt to the reality of combat in Ukraine and the need to strengthen the Pentagon’s remote strike capabilities, particularly with a view to a possible high-intensity conflict in the Pacific. Operational demonstrations must be completed before May 2025, with a requirement for rapid integration into the military inventory.
Kamikaze drones adapted to operational realities
The specifications of the Artemis project reflect a direct tactical adaptation to the lessons learned on the Ukrainian front. The drones must cover a distance of between 50 and 300 kilometers, a greater range than models such as the Switchblade 300 (approximately 15 km) or 600 (approximately 40 km). This leap in capacity aims to strike targets deep inside, while avoiding enemy defense systems.
The need for drones resistant to GPS jamming and capable of operating in a hostile electromagnetic environment is a response to a tactical challenge that has become central. In Ukraine, Russian forces make extensive use of GNSS jamming, compromising the effectiveness of Western precision munitions, notably JDAM-ER or GLSDB. This means that autonomous systems must have inertial navigation, optical reference systems or alternative sensors. The cost of these technologies must remain below 50,000 euros per unit, to ensure volume use, as desired by the US Congress.
The drones tested will also have to be ground-launched, maneuverable at low altitude, compatible with different types of payloads, and easy to modify, with a view to rapid adaptation to the theater of operations. These specifications reflect a desire for operational flexibility, with very short integration times of less than 12 months.
A rapidly changing market: towards low-cost production
The DIU received 165 proposals in four months, a sign of the sector’s intense activity. The choice of four prototypes implies a desire to reduce dependence on traditional manufacturers and to favor technological SMEs. This dynamic aims to reduce costs and accelerate innovation. The contract worth almost 940 million euros signed in 2023 with Aerovironment for Switchblade 300 and 600 is an illustration of this, but the budgetary sustainability of a prolonged conflict requires other solutions.
Less well-known players such as Dragoon Technologies are part of this trend towards inexpensive disposable munitions. According to several industry reports, a single-use kamikaze drone can be produced for less than 30,000 euros, compared to more than 200,000 euros for a tactical cruise missile such as the AGM-158 JASSM.
In this context, the diversification of suppliers and the opening up of the market to non-traditional companies are becoming strategic imperatives. The objective is twofold: to speed up deliveries and to ensure industrial resilience in the event of a prolonged war.
Ukraine, a laboratory for asymmetrical remote warfare
The choice of Ukrainian partner companies highlights the technological added value of the Ukrainian defense industry. Over the past two years, drones such as the UJ-22 Airborne or modified light aircraft have struck several Russian infrastructures located more than 800 km away, such as the Novokuibyshevsk refineries or the Alabuga industrial zone, where Shahed-136 drones are assembled.
These attacks illustrate the strategic effectiveness of low-cost, long-distance strikes. According to data compiled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), nearly 30% of Russian oil infrastructure located more than 500 km from the front has been targeted since 2023.
The Ukrainian approach relies on light, inexpensive systems with high impact value. This strategy requires a redefinition of deep attack doctrines, particularly in contested environments. It is precisely from this perspective that the Artemis project draws its operational legitimacy.
A response to US capability gaps and geopolitical tensions
Since 2021, the Pentagon has been warning of the limits of its long-range munitions stocks in the face of a potential war in the Pacific. The 2024 defense budget provides for more than 7.5 billion euros dedicated to standoff weapons. However, production lead times are still too long: 24 to 36 months for conventional missiles, compared with 6 months for a standardized kamikaze drone.
In this context, long-range drones are a saturation solution, enabling small NATO member states to participate in deterrence operations without accessing expensive weaponry. The concept of a “high-low mix” evoked by General James Hecker emphasizes this complementarity between expensive technologies and accessible systems.
The challenge is therefore industrial, but also geopolitical: to broaden access to strike capabilities, including for secondary partners, in a context of multipolar confrontation. The rapid integration of kamikaze drones could thus rebalance the tactical balance of power, particularly in gray areas of conflict.
Towards a progressive hybridization with cruise missiles
The specifications of the Artemis program (range, payload, modular adaptation) blur the distinction between kamikaze drone and light cruise missile. Some analysts believe that these drones could eventually replace conventional munitions, by providing semi-autonomous precision strikes. This is the aim of the Enterprise Test Vehicle (ETV) program, which runs parallel to Artemis and aims to produce low-cost missiles inspired by UAVs.
This movement is part of a logic of hybridizing munitions. According to the think tank RAND Corporation, Western armies will have to convert at least 25% of their conventional stocks to semi-autonomous UAV systems by 2030, in order to ensure logistical resilience in protracted conflicts.
War Wings Daily is an independant magazine.