Army of robots: developments that are already working or will soon appear on the front line in Ukraine
Drones have definitely become game changers in this war. However, defense tech is a huge industry that focuses not only on UAVs.
When the Brave1 cluster was created, the General Staff identified 12 priority verticals of technological development relevant to the front line. These include automated communication and information security management systems, munitions, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, mine clearance, and others.
Today, more than 1,000 developments in these 12 verticals are registered on the Brave1 platform. Of these, more than 130 are robotic systems. The robots can shoot, deliver cargo, evacuate the wounded, mine and vice versa, all while taking our defenders back from the ground up, saving lives and health of our soldiers.
I’ll tell you about seven innovative developments that are already working or will soon strengthen our military on the front line.
1. Kamikaze: Ratel-S
This is a kamikaze robot designed to destroy enemy positions and armored vehicles. The main idea is that the drone is used as a mobile warhead carrying anti-tank mines or other explosives. The drone can carry a payload of 35 kilograms, and the operating time ranges from 40 to 120 minutes, depending on the speed of the platform. We have recently launched mass production. What is important is that it is entirely Ukrainian designed and assembled.
2. A combat robot: IronClad
This robotic platform helps the Defense Forces storm enemy positions. The robot has an armored carapace that protects it from small arms, reaches speeds of up to 15 km/h, and is equipped with thermal imaging and sighting cameras and a ShaBlya M2 combat turret. It has a large power reserve: 13 hours on rough terrain, in difficult road and weather conditions, made possible by a hybrid powertrain.
Ironclad is already participating in combat missions in various frontline areas and performing tasks to suppress and destroy enemy firing positions. Engineers are currently working on improving communication to increase the robot’s accuracy and reaction time on the battlefield, and to increase speed and mobility on different types of terrain.
3. Reconnaissance and strike ground robotic system D-21-11
The D-11 is a stationary, rapidly deployable robotic ground combat module that allows the operator to aim and deliver fire remotely from a protected position. D-11 will help our armed forces plan operations with elements of simulating a massive assault from all possible flanks, distracting the enemy from the point of main attack. An integrated ballistic calculator that allows you to guarantee a hit on targets at a distance of 1 km.
If the D-11 is combined with the D-21 logistics ground robotic system, we get a mobile, remotely controlled reconnaissance and strike ground robotic system D-21-11. It can be used to observe, detect and engage ground targets (manpower, lightly armored vehicles) and helicopters at low altitudes.
4. 4. Logistics: Volya-E
In a war that is becoming more and more positional, it is especially important to deliver cargo and supplies with the help of robots rather than humans. Volya-E is a robotic radio-controlled platform designed to solve logistics problems for the transportation of various goods.
One of the advantages is the use of tracked vehicles. This improves cross-country ability in snow, ice, sand and mud. The platform has small dimensions – its width is less than a meter, its length is just over a meter, and its height is only 40 cm. This makes it possible to be as stable as possible against overturning. The recommended load is 150 kg, but it has already been tested with a load capacity of up to 300 kg.
The battery allows the platform to move with a load of 100 kg for a distance of up to 12 km on a single charge. The platform itself is made of Ukrainian-made components, except for the control system. The platform is 90% ready. Several dozen units are already being tested in various departments and adapted to the requirements of operators.
5. Medical evacuation: FoxTa
It is designed to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield and unit positions to a medical or stabilization point and transport them to a specialized evacuation vehicle for emergency medical care.
FoxTac’s design allows for easy transportation to the deployment site, rapid deployment and remote dispatch for evacuation missions without requiring a significant number of personnel to transport.
The transporter is designed to transport one person, has compact dimensions due to its folding design, low profile, which makes it invisible on the battlefield and facilitates loading of the wounded. In addition, it is conveniently transported in ambulances.
6. Minefields: Lizard
The Yaschyr ground mine drone is designed to remotely mine enemy positions. The military no longer needs to manually deliver mines to enemy positions, the drone will do it for them. The range of the miner is up to 3 km and the battery life is up to 4 hours. About 20 of these drones have already been sent to the front and are being used by the military.
7. Mine clearance: Partner-VS
The versatile tracked ground robot has high cross-country ability, a high degree of body protection due to the use of 10 mm thick hardened steel, a payload capacity of up to 300 kg, and the ability to drive along coordinates.
One of the purposes of the robotic complex is to remotely clear passages through minefields by tightening a linear demining charge with subsequent detonation or using a mine trawl. The development is at the stage of small-scale production and can be quickly scaled up to mass production. The robot is already being used by the military for demining, evacuation of the wounded, and delivery of ammunition and provisions.
To summarize.
Brave1 attracts and supports developers and innovators at any level of product readiness – concept, MVP, early stage, mature manufacturers. We help them with expertise, testing, codification in accordance with NATO standards, support at the contracting stage, create opportunities for scaling and legalization, ensure communication with investors, and provide grant funding.
Of the more than 130 robotic and remote-controlled systems submitted to the Brave1 platform, 9 have already been codified. In fact, they became pioneers. Despite the fact that such systems had already been used on the battlefield, there were no appropriate procedures for supplying such advanced equipment to the front. Thanks to the joint work of our team with the General Staff, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, these procedures are now in place and we are constantly working to improve them.
Thanks to codification and standardization, Ukrainian defense tech developments and companies are becoming part of the global defense market and integrating into the NATO Euro-Atlantic space, and Ukraine is gradually becoming the world’s most dynamic hub of defense innovation.
I urge you to join the work on defense tech developments, expand local production and invest in Ukrainian defense innovations. These are smart investments that have long-term consequences – the protection and security of the country and the multiplication of invested resources.
