Cockroach
The Cockroach looks small and fairly light — just a few dozen kilograms — but it is manoeuvrable and fast.
“First, the Mavic inspects the area to be demined from above, marking the locations of explosive devices on the map. Then, the Cockroach moves in to conduct reconnaissance near the object. Only after both the Mavic and the Cockroach have assessed the area can a person begin working,” explains Andriy Havaza, a mine safety consultant at the Come Back Alive Foundation.
Surveying the terrain with drones is a way to save human lives, the foundation explains. This is why the We Will Live Here 2.0 project has invested in innovation and technology.
“Today, I forbid working with a probe because explosive devices have already been developed to counteract it. A sapper may start clearing a path with a probe, unknowingly triggering an explosion,” the foundation’s consultant emphasises.
The Cockroach can approach ammunition directly, identify its type, and determine its category. Additionally, it can neutralise the munition itself or secure it against booby traps.
“There are many explosive devices that react to movement or changes in the magnetic field. Some detonate when a person wearing body armour approaches. That is why this drone is ideal for the job. It’s metal, contains electronic components, and if the ammunition’s magnetic field shifts, the drone reacts — triggering a controlled detonation,” Havaza explains.
The Cockroach can also assist a sapper. Its small platform can carry tools, reducing the need for a person to transport additional weight — a kind of metal assistant on wheels.
Termit
This is a heavier category, although the Termit is far from being a large humanitarian demining vehicle. “The Termit is tracked, making it less likely to overturn, and it has a much larger platform than its lighter counterpart. It also has a lower speed,” explains Andriy Havaza.
“It’s logistically sound, suitable for remote detonation, and can deploy an extended charge to clear a specific area,” he adds.
In addition, the Termit serves as an evacuation drone, capable of extracting an injured person who cannot be reached by heavier evacuation vehicles.
Where the Termit cannot access due to size, terrain, or weather, the Vampire bomber drone comes to the rescue. It can either inspect the ammunition from above or destroy the explosives on the spot by dropping a payload. Alternatively, it can scan the area from the sky using special equipment.
All the aforementioned equipment is made in Ukraine, which was a priority for the foundation when selecting it. Additionally, the foundation was guided by feedback from the military, who already have experience with unexploded ordnance (UXOs).
Why didn’t they purchase only ground robotic systems for UAH 100 million? The foundation explains that it was important to create a complete ecosystem for the units. This way, when the military receives the robots, they don’t have to worry about sourcing communication equipment, aerial reconnaissance drones, computers for work, or vehicles for missions.
Alongside equipment and transport, we have four mobile maintenance workshops. These are equipped with our own machinery, tools, and welding machines. The workshops are fully autonomous, with a generator and communication systems.
“The crew moves to a protected location, sets up the workshop, receives damaged equipment, repairs it, and then relocates. This platform will serve not only the NRC but also wheeled vehicles of various types. Locksmiths and mechanics will work there,” explains Dmytro Lavryk, a motor vehicle specialist at the Come Back Alive Foundation.
According to Lavryk, the idea for the mobile workshop was inspired by the experience of motorsports.
Behind the wheel
Learning to operate a Cockroach or Termit is not difficult, according to the military. Ground robots are much easier to operate than FPV drones. However, training is still necessary.
“It is our requirement that each unit is trained and certified. To achieve this, we partnered with the manufacturers, who held training sessions for operators. This way, we avoid receiving calls from the front line saying, ‘It’s broken, how do we fix it?’” explains Andriy Havaza.
Additionally, the foundation has its own instructional department to ensure that operators and sappers can work together in a coordinated manner.
“For this purpose, training centres have been established where operators undergo specialised training for each particular product. Later, they receive comprehensive training on the interaction of all processes and combat tools. A single person in the field is not a warrior, but when there is interaction, communication, and an understanding that they are working towards the same goal, the unit succeeds,” emphasises the foundation’s consultant.
Oleh Onats states that although he knows how to operate all the types of equipment available, there are more specialised pilots for each one. There are also engineers who maintain the equipment.
But despite robots taking on a significant portion of the tasks, more people are still needed, adds the soldier.
“The robot still cannot function without a human: it needs to be controlled, its battery needs to be changed, and sometimes it jams. But this work is not carried out on the front line,” says Onats.
Most of all, he says, young people are needed.
“Former gamers already have the skills to navigate the controls, as this is essentially a toy. Even if they are flying with goggles on, their vestibular system is better adapted. We don’t have many gamers in our unit yet, but we want to recruit them,” the soldier explains.
Ukrainian demining experience — present and future
Andriy Havaza started studying demining in 1995. In 2006, he became a sapper. He studied both in Ukraine and abroad, in Kosovo. Now, he says, no other country has the same experience that Ukraine possesses. Therefore, it is crucial to preserve and pass it on.
“We need a strong school, even if it is commercial, so that other countries can learn from us. We are already sharing our experience with Germany, Poland, and the UK, and they are interested. But we need a school here so that people will come to study with us. We already have a powerful sapper base. No other country in the world has anything like it. This includes various types of ammunition, from small arms to improvised explosive devices, and FPV drones. We are no longer engaged in a classic war,” explains the foundation’s consultant.
As for remote demining with the help of robots, some units have already mastered it at a fairly advanced level, says Oleh Onats. His unit also has experience using ground vehicles that they have built themselves.
Regarding the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the army, “every normal brigade is already trying to create entire platoons and battalions working with unmanned systems,” he says.
How rapidly is the field of ground robotic systems developing? The military man describes it as a people’s initiative.
“Before I was mobilised in 2023, I was a volunteer driver, delivering pick-up trucks and FPVs to the military. And in 2016-2017, there were those who criticised us for carrying nonsense, but now these drones are already making a difference on the battlefield. The same scenario will happen with the NRC: initially, they are not taken seriously, but then they become more significant when they begin to solve combat tasks. It’s a natural process,” says Onats.
The combat tasks covered by the NRCs depend on the imagination and creativity of those who use them.
“Putting a machine gun on a Termit turns it into a mobile firing point. Today it is here, and tomorrow it is somewhere else, and try to catch it. In enhanced mode, it can sit in ambush for 2-3 days until it is activated. Some models can stand for weeks,” the soldier explains.
Combine several machines into a swarm, and you have a robotic “zero” on the defence line.
“The base will consist of NRCs. A group of military engineers and I are experimenting with this concept — what the logistics should be, where the firing points should be, how the machines should communicate with each other, how they should work in a ground swarm, and how their machine vision should operate. And if they form a company, it’s usually two people on the NRC, two on the heavy attack drones. They work together and complement each other. This creates one organism that is integrated for specific tasks,” Onats explains.