Ukrainian troops have begun combat trials of new strike ground robotic systems fitted with turrets armed with Kalashnikov rifles. The Defence Ministry reported this.
The ministry says using standard Kalashnikov rifles makes production cheaper and allows the rapid scaling-up of strike ground robotic systems at the front.
Read alsoAnti-aircraft machine gun battalion in Sumy Region receives batch of robotic turretsThe fire module has a twin turret that allows two rifles to be mounted at once. This significantly increases the density of fire during assault and defensive operations against enemy infantry. In addition, the turret can be installed on other wheeled and tracked ground robotic systems. The system is built on a four-wheeled chassis with airless tyres and is fitted with a protected корпус. This design makes it resistant to shrapnel, bullets and punctures and allows it to manoeuvre in difficult terrain.
The strike systems were developed to a technical specification from the Brave1 defence innovation cluster. The project received grant funding, and it took the developers less than six months to go from the idea to a finished prototype.
Several Defence Forces units are already testing these systems in combat conditions. In particular, there are confirmed cases of successful use by the SBU’s Special Operations Centre “A” against enemy ambushes involving loitering “waiter” drones (strike unmanned aircraft (most often FPV) that operate in ambush mode and wait for a target for an extended period).
Earlier, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry noted that the need for ground robotic systems is steadily growing. To significantly expand their use along the front line, the defence ministry has substantially increased procurement volumes and set the required level of demand for ground robotic systems this year.
In particular, more than 22,000 units of ground robotic systems have already been contracted, almost double the figure for the whole of the previous year. Service personnel have also ordered ground robotic systems worth nearly UAH 1.9 billion via the Brave1 Market marketplace under the eBaly programme.
Read alsoUkrainian forces deploy machine gun-equipped ground drone to Kinburn Spit via unmanned maritime platform