Ukraine Turns Ground Robots Into “Small Tanks,” Deploys 50,000 Missions to Hunt Russian Infiltration Teams
Ukraine is mounting remote weapon stations on ground robots to create mobile “small tanks” that hunt Russian infiltration teams, while its military has already carried out more than 50,000 logistics and evacuation missions with ground robots this year.
KYIV — Ukraine is mounting weapon stations on ground robots to create mobile “small tanks” that can hunt Russian infiltration teams, a Ukrainian arms maker told Business Insider [177246]. The company Frontline Robotics said soldiers now use its “Buria” turret—a remote weapon system that fires grenades or a machine gun—on robotic vehicles. The turret was originally designed for fixed positions on tripods but can now drive toward enemy lines.
“Right now we put our robotic arm on the robotic vehicle, and two operators, 20, 40, 50 kilometers away, drive it through forest lines to stop small groups penetrating our defense,” said Mykyta Rozhkov, the company’s chief business development officer [177246].
The change comes because the battlefield is extremely dangerous. Drones fill the front lines, creating what officials call a “kill zone.” Large troop movements are nearly impossible. Russia has turned to small infiltration teams—groups of soldiers who creep across the front lines—to take Ukrainian positions or disrupt defenses [177246]. Ukraine wants to stop these teams without exposing more soldiers to danger. Ground robots are cheaper and faster to replace than tanks or armored vehicles, and no human lives are lost if they are destroyed [177246].
Frontline Robotics updates its products up to 20 times a month, relying on constant feedback from soldiers. “We don’t even have to ask for feedback. It goes directly 24/7 into our inbox,” Rozhkov said [177246]. Other Ukrainian companies are taking a similar approach. DevDroid equips ground robots with grenade launchers and machine guns. “It can save people’s lives,” said Oleg Fedoryshyn, its director of R&D [177246].
Ground robots are already being used to evacuate wounded soldiers, carry supplies, lay and remove mines, and attack. Ukraine’s defense minister said the military has carried out more than 50,000 logistics and evacuation missions with ground robots since the start of the year—a huge jump from 2,000 missions in the six months before December [177246]. Recently, robots have achieved battlefield firsts: Ukraine captured a Russian position using only aerial drones and ground robots, without any infantry. Robots have also gotten Russian soldiers to surrender [177246].
Rozhkov said the goal is to defend areas “without humans.” He added: “This is really our important mission in order to keep our soldiers safe” [177246].