It was just a matter of time before the armed forces of Ukraine notched another robotic warfare historical moment. For the first time since mankind first went to war, an all-unmanned ground attack team took on and completed a mission. The operation took place near the village of Lyptsi in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
Ukraine’s Khartia Brigade, from the country’s national guard, conducted the strike using dozens of robotic systems kitted out in various ways. First-person view (FPV) drones provided aerial views of the battlefield, while unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) took care of things on the ground.
Some UGVs cleared mines, while others laid mines. Some UGVs were armed with machine guns and provided covering fire.
A spokesperson with the Khartia Brigade said the attack successfully eliminated Russian positions without the involvement of infantry. The Institute for the Study of War said the operation marked a significant milestone in Ukraine’s use of advanced military tech. The institute said this attack highlighted the lengths Ukraine is going to deal with its lack of manpower.
From the outset of the war almost three years ago, Ukraine faced a huge deficit in munitions and manpower. By necessity, it has used unmanned systems in all sorts of creative ways to conduct its asymmetric warfare against Russia.
Whether it be Dragon’s Breath drones dropping thermite on Russian positions and burning out tree lines, or Sea Baby drones attacking everything from helicopters to fighter jets to dismounted soldiers on oil rigs, Ukraine continues to innovate.
As we said, it was just a matter of time before an all-unmanned ground assault unit was formed and deployed. What’s next for Ukraine’s army of drones? The General Staff of Ukraine just announced it completed trials of an aerial drone that operates on fiber optic cables. These cables make drones much more resistant to the effects of electronic warfare.
