XPost: soc.history.war.misc, sci.military.naval, or.politics
XPost: alt.fan.heinlein
from
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-combat-robots-ugvs-drones-avdiivka-ukraine-video-1885406
Russia's New Combat Robots Blown Up by Drones Near Avdiivka: Video
Published Mar 31, 2024 at 10:06 AM EDT
Updated Apr 01, 2024 at 9:32 AM EDT
01:01
Russia To Test New Ground Drones With Mounted Guns
By Ellie Cook
Security & Defense Reporter
FOLLOW
46
Explosive Ukrainian drones have taken out Russian combat robots close to
the Moscow-controlled strategic eastern city of Avdiivka, new footage
appears to show, with smaller ground drones likely to have a more
prominent role in future fighting.
Russian forces have started using ground-based robots with automatic
grenade launchers in combat in Ukraine, Kyiv's 47th Mechanized Brigade
said in a post to social media on Saturday.
Ukraine used first-person-view drones to take out two of the combat
robots close to Avdiivka, a hotspot of fighting in Ukraine's eastern
Donetsk region, the brigade said. Moscow captured Avdiivka in
mid-February, and clashes have since raged on west of the settlement.
Ukraine FPV drones targeting Russian UGVs
A screenshot of a video posted by Ukraine's military, appearing to show
drones targeting Russian ground drones. Kyiv destroyed two of the combat
robots close to Avdiivka, in the eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine's
military said.
TELEGRAM/ UKRAINE'S 47TH SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIGADE
In a brief video published on messaging app Telegram by the brigade,
what appears to be at least one Russian uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) is targeted by drone specialists belonging to the brigade.
"So far, these are isolated cases of the Russians using such a
technique," the brigade added.
Sign up for Newsletter
NEWSLETTER
The Frontlines
In-depth coverage of The New World Order
Email address
By clicking on SIGN ME UP, you agree to Newsweek's Terms of Use &
Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Newsweek could not independently verify this footage and has reached out
to the Russian Defense Ministry via email for comment.
Moscow and Kyiv have invested heavily in uncrewed vehicles, most
prominently in the air, but also on the ground and on water. Russia and
Ukraine are both using ground drones in their war efforts, often
designed to keep soldiers further away from hostilities as the uncrewed vehicles take on dangerous missions.
Russia has developed several types of ground drones, including the
AI-enabled "Marker" combat robot and the Zubilo UGV, designed to help
with logistics. Ukraine, too, is forging ahead with developing and
deploying UGVs.
READ MORE
Russia's "mobile fire groups" hint at deeper problem: ISW
Russia rapidly approaching three grim milestones, according to Kyiv
Russian Black Sea Fleet has one "loser" missile ship left in Crimea: Kyiv
More and more small, light combat and logistics ground drones are
appearing across the front lines, many of which are made by troops or
volunteer organizations and feature more rudimentary designs that can be quickly assembled, said Samuel Bendett, of the Center for Naval Analyses.
The video published by Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade shows UGVs that
have been incapacitated then repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drones,
meaning the ground drones were likely swiftly identified and destroyed,
Bendett said.
"What we will witness is the use of many cheap, light UGVs like those in
this video that can be quickly put together, potentially quickly lost if necessary, and quickly replaced," he told Newsweek.
With the sheer number of reconnaissance and surveillance drones in the air—able to sniff out larger, more sophisticated UGVs that Moscow has developed, like the "Marker"—"it's unlikely that large UGVs can appear
in this war, at least for the foreseeable future," Bendett evaluated.
From the clip published by Ukraine's military, it is not clear what the circumstances around the targeting of the Russian UGVs were. It is hard
to tell whether the UGVs were sent out instead of soldiers, or alongside troops, Bendett said.
"As more UGVs will enter combat, both sides will try to develop tactics
and concepts for integrating them in assault and battlefield operations"
and take away some of the danger for human fighters, he continued.
Both Russia and Ukraine are pushing to develop UGVs that can
increasingly operate on their own, he added.
In mid-September 2023, Ukraine's drone tsar and Digital Transformation Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said Ukraine was testing its "Ironclad"
unmanned robot in combat missions on the front lines.
It is equipped with a machine gun, or robotic combat turret, and is
designed to help assault enemy positions, conduct reconnaissance
missions and provide fire support, Fedorov said. It can reportedly
travel at a speed of up to 12 miles per hour.
At the start of 2024, Ukraine's ground forces said its 5th Separate
Assault Brigade was using a ground-based combat drone to target Russian positions.
Request Reprint & Licensing Submit Correction View Editorial Guidelines
About the writer
Ellie Cook
FOLLOW
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London,
U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, c
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)