Eric Schmidt said Ukraine needs Western money and technological help to counter Russian drone attacks during the war, warning that whoever plays the game of fastest innovation to scale will win this war. Schmidt, the CEO and executive chairman of Relativity Space, stated that Russia had readied 80,000 of these systems to strike Ukraine between the time of the interview and December, according to a public record.

In particular, they need some money, and they need technological help in order to counter this set of waves coming, Schmidt said. He added that if that help comes, he thinks Ukraine can hold. The former chair of the U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence and Pentagon advisor emphasized the urgency of the situation, noting that they need Western help.

He observed a shift in the technological dynamics of the conflict. Historically, Ukraine was this small, really smart, really fast innovator, and the Russians were, if you will, big, slow, not very capable. That's changed, he said. The rate of innovation is faster than he has ever seen, and he works in tech. This acceleration is evident in Russian hardware modifications, as Russia has fitted some Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones with small, inexpensive Chinese jet engines.

The technical specifications of these modified drones present new challenges. Jet-powered Shahed drones can reach a cruising speed of over 300 miles per hour, a significant increase from older versions of Shahed drones that had a reported cruising speed of 110 miles per hour. He described the resulting tactical environment: The battlefield today is a no man's land where nothing moves because there are drones and anti-drones above you.

To manage the scale of modern aerial warfare, he argued for increased automation. Humans can't run a swarm of 1,000 drones, but a computer can, he said. So what he thinks will happen is computers will develop war plans within a swarm. His own company, Perennial Autonomy, develops the Merops interceptor drones used by regiments across Ukraine, reflecting the industry's direct involvement in the conflict.

Ukraine is working to expand its domestic capabilities in response to these threats. The country was seeking to increase its drone production from 8 million to 10 million. Mykhailo Drapatyi, Ukraine's new top general, published a list of priorities after taking his position that included innovation. He questioned whether Western nations were learning enough from the conflict, asking how Western nations could not be capturing this knowledge in the West to defend their own countries.

The human cost of the war remains high. Ukraine's Defense Ministry estimates that 42,860 Russian troops were killed or wounded in July. In August, the ministry estimated that 42,020 Russian troops were killed or wounded, which averages to roughly 1,350 Russian troops killed or wounded per day in August.

He commented on these figures, stating that the death rate on the Russia side is horrible. It's just horrible, and these are human beings, too. He also noted the broader devastation, saying that everything in both countries is a target for everything else. That's just horrible.

What's New

Additional reporting indicates that Eric Schmidt stated that Russia had readied 80,000 of these systems to strike Ukraine between the time of the interview and December, according to a public record. It also emerged that Eric Schmidt's company Perennial Autonomy develops the Merops interceptor drones used by regiments across Ukraine.

Further details show that Ukraine was seeking to increase its drone production from 8 million to 10 million. These facts provide additional context to the primary reporting on Schmidt's warnings regarding the scale of Russian drone preparations and the industrial response from Ukraine.

Why It Matters

The conflict has become a testing ground for rapid technological adaptation, with Schmidt noting that the rate of innovation exceeds typical tech sector standards. The shift in Russian capabilities, specifically the integration of faster jet engines into Shahed drones, alters the defensive requirements for Ukraine. With 80,000 systems reportedly prepared for deployment, the demand for Western financial and technological support is framed as critical to maintaining Ukraine's defensive posture.

The scale of personnel losses, with tens of thousands of casualties reported in July and August alone, reflects the intensity of the fighting. As Ukraine seeks to boost drone production, from 8 million to 10 million units, the role of automated systems in managing drone swarms becomes increasingly relevant. Schmidt's assertion that computers will develop war plans within swarms shows a potential future trajectory for military strategy that extends beyond the current battlefield.