Team News Riveting
Kyiv, August 4
In a move aimed to counter the latest battlefield challenges that include Russian minefields, tank traps and concrete bunkers in the occupied south, Ukraine continues to innovate with new battlefield technology.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Gavrylov hinted that the country is now prioritizing the creation of “battle robots” – or unmanned logistics platforms for evacuating injured troops. A video of the prototype robots was released as a proof of the plan.
This comes as Ukrainian forces, having liberated around 200 plus square kilometers and nine villages ahead of the so-called Surovikin Line of Russian defense fortifications, tries to advance through the next strata of artillery “kill boxes” and elaborate fortifications en route to occupied Melitopol, Berdyansk and Mariupol.
Prioritizing the preservation of human life, such as through improved rescue and evacuation using robots, is aligned with the military doctrine of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) – and the subject of criticism of the “you’re going too slow” Western commentators.
To that end, development of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) capable of carrying weapon systems would be given secondary priority, Minister Gavrylov said, speaking at a press conference with Ukrainian publisher Industrial Portal. Such combat-style UGVs could carry automatic grenade launchers, machine guns or anti-tank weapons, and be controlled by operators to hit targets from ambushes or from artificial cover.
Gavrylov continued that the development of stationary ground vehicles armed with machine guns or optical stations for defensive purposes will also be considered as a third priority. Such systems would be immobile but would be controlled by an operator from a different location.
Ukraine’s moves to expand its operational use of “robotic dogs of war” is at the leading edge of military practice.
“Modern UGVs can accomplish a wide variety of missions, from direct fire support to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defense to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR),” an April analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said.
