The role of unmanned ground and air systems on the battlefield is growing rapidly. They carry out a wide variety of duties, including striking, reconnaissance, engineering, logistics, and evacuation.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is rapidly developing innovative projects to gain a technological advantage on the battlefield. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, identified this task as a priority, so this work is gaining momentum and scaling up.

One of these innovative projects is currently being tested. The project envisions the complex use of ground and air robotic and unmanned systems for carrying out certain combat missions. Specialists involved in its implementation believe that the fulfillment of this idea is a near-term possibility.

"The Minister of Defense and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces identified the development of robotic systems and their widespread use as one of the priority tasks. It is about systemic solutions and changes. The realities of war dictate new requirements. We must respond very quickly to the challenges of the times, always be one step ahead of the enemy, invest as much as possible in development of innovative tools of war in order to have more capabilities on the battlefield," said First Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk.

At one of the Armed Forces of Ukraine's training grounds, tests of the complex application of unmanned systems are being done to integrate "iron soldiers" into the performance of tasks in the general system of combat orders of the troops. Here, combat tasks are performed by robots: reconnaissance drones, remotely controlled machine guns on turrets, sapper robots, ground logistics robots, etc.

Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk emphasized: "This is a unique experience of Ukrainian weapon manufacturers and IT specialists. We are observing the transformation of combat operations' architecture due to the impact modern technologies. Our joint task is to provide our soldiers with as many modern types of weapons and military equipment as possible. The effective implementation of this project and its subsequent expansion will significantly contribute to the establishment of an advanced industry of robotic systems in Ukraine. And most importantly, it will save the lives of our soldiers on the front lines."

Note: According to the information provided by the Main Directorate for Life Cycle Support of Armaments and Military Equipment, in the first half of 2024, the Ministry of Defense codified and approved for operation in units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine more than 70 models of domestically produced unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) and almost 30 ground robotic platforms.