How software is reshaping war

A drone is prepared for a strike on a Russian target in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine in this file photo. The Delta system pulls together battlefield data to identify targets, creating a miles-wide ‘kill zone’. The technology is credited with helping to cut Russian advances to a near standstill. — Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

THE screens, showing live drone footage of the battlefield, flickered with colour-coded frames: green for Russian equipment, blue for Ukrainian forces, orange when friend and foe were hard to tell apart.

Then, a frame flashed red, indicating a Russian soldier sprinting along a tree line.