Ukraine is deploying experimental ground robots equipped with machine guns on the front lines against Russian troops. This measure could save the lives of Ukrainian combatants as the war sparked by Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion order in February 2022 shows no signs of ending.
This is reflected in images and videos circulating in recent weeks that appear to show a variety of these Ukrainian unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), from robots responsible for dangerous demining tasks to combat robots getting into gunfights. , as reported by Newsweek.
Since the outbreak of war, Ukraine has been trying to strengthen the so-called drone army by purchasing thousands of components and spending billions of hryvnias. In mid-September 2023, Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhailo Fedorov said that the country was testing its unmanned robot “Ironclad” in front-line combat operations, according to the same media.
Therefore, it is equipped with a machine gun or a robotic combat turret and is intended to attack enemy positions, conduct reconnaissance missions and provide fire support, Fedorov noted at the time. In addition, it is capable of moving at a speed of more than 19 kilometers per hour.
Both Russia and Ukraine are developing UGVs designed to “replace human soldiers in the most dangerous and casualty attacks,” Samuel Bendett of the Center for Naval Analysis told the same media. For its part, Russia has also developed robots that it has earmarked for use in Ukraine, including the AI-enabled combat robot Marker.
“We are seeing a similar pattern on both sides when it comes to UGV developments,” Bendett argued. “The vehicles tend to be smaller to minimize the chance of being detected by the ubiquitous aerial drones,” he added, pointing out that they are often rudimentary and cheap.