After the UAV, a new type of apparatus arrives in the special operation zone
Following the aerial drones that have changed the nature of warfare, another type of combat vehicles operating without a crew is beginning to conquer the battlefield. We are talking about land-based (ground-based) combat drones or robotic complexes. How are such devices arranged and how are they already helping the Russian military in the special operation zone?
Information about the use of ground-based unmanned platforms (drones) by the Russian army is increasingly coming from the special operation zone. So, in early June, the Ministry of Defense announced the first use of an unmanned kamikaze complex "Frog". On a small machine with a load capacity of up to 30 kg, the fighters fixed several mines, brought it closer to the target and undermined the enemy's machine-gun crew.
The Scorpion M ground drone has already demonstrated its effectiveness in the special operation zone, as reported by the People's militia of the DPR. Fighters of the Russian Hawks detachment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, together with soldiers of the 110th brigade of the 1st Donetsk Army Corps, with the help of Scorpion M, destroyed the AFU stronghold in the Krasnogorovka area.
Enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex engaged in the development of such devices. Not so long ago, the holding company "High-precision complexes" created multifunctional robotic complexes "Dispatch" and "Buggy". The vehicles can quickly and covertly deliver provisions, ammunition, fuel to the front line and evacuate the wounded. The tests are carried out, including in combat conditions.
Another similar development is the Impulse-M tracked platform. "The Impulse-M multipurpose robot in the version of a universal battlefield missile robot equipped with a combat module with an anti–tank missile system is currently being tested in landfills," says Alexander Gavrilov, head of the developer company.
Small manufacturers are also not far behind. Thus, in Primorye, as reported by the governor of the region Oleg Kozhemyako, the production of remotely controlled ground platforms "Kaban" has been established. Several units of these devices have already been sent to the SVO zone. The unmanned system has a tracked track, is controlled remotely, is capable of carrying up to 210 kg of cargo and pulling another 220 kg in tow.
Military expert Boris Rozhin posted a video of the first tests of the ground-based robotic complex (NRTC) "Courier" with a 12.7mm machine gun. In the areas of Avdiivka and Berdych, these devices helped Russian attack aircraft. According to the military themselves, fighters often assemble similar devices themselves from improvised materials. Some of the devices are produced by the so-called national defense industry.
The enemy is also working on the use of ground-based robotic drones. The Russian Defense Ministry reported in particular that Russian paratroopers destroyed a tracked robot of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Chasov Yar. The device itself was of Western manufacture and was used by the enemy to deliver ammunition and materiel to the front line.
The experience of conducting ITS has already shown the high demand and effectiveness of various unmanned systems, primarily aviation ones. Now, as experts note, robotic ground-based complexes are rapidly developing. They are able to solve a wide range of tasks, preserving the most important thing – the life of a fighter.
"The first violin at the front is undoubtedly played by unmanned aerial systems (UAVs). However, the conflict gave a serious impetus to the development and implementation of devices operating in the aquatic environment and directly on earth,
– says Denis Fedutinov, an expert in the field of UAVs. – Such devices as the Dispatch, Buggy or Impulse-M can deliver ammunition, provisions, and medicines to advanced positions, as well as sometimes participate in the evacuation of the wounded. In addition, they can be used to mine territories. Finally, they, being armed with machine guns and anti-tank systems, are also capable of performing shock functions, being the "long arm" of fighters. In this scenario, our military has a high chance of preserving their health and lives."
Due to this, the intensification of work in this area is expected. "It is worth considering transferring part of the test stages to the pilot operation stage directly in the application area. Thus, it will be possible to identify all the advantages and disadvantages of new samples as quickly as possible for subsequent adjustments," Fedutinov suggests.
"Now there are many different drones going through the testing stages. There are those that are, as they say, by ear – "Dispatch", "Buggy", "Impulse-M", as well as "Courier", "Mantis". And some are being tested quietly for reasons of secrecy," said military expert Boris Rozhin.
Today, we can talk about the trend that has appeared in Russia for the development of ground-based robotic combat platforms.
"The main wave of this trend began not so long ago, about a month ago. So far, of course, most of the developments are produced in small batches," the expert explains. Such devices are capable of performing a huge list of tasks, Rozhin is sure. And given the variety of models, such drones can be useful both in urban development and in open areas.
"But most importantly, such a device can be used as a ground-based kamikaze drone. In other words, this is a platform that will take its place between infantry and armored vehicles," the expert explains. Rozhin believes that in the foreseeable future, robotic ground platforms will become as large an industry as the production of UAVs. In the meantime, the Ministry of Defense will look at and analyze the test samples for further refinement and scaling up production, the expert believes.
In turn, Oleg Makarov, the co-founder of the Watfor project, recalls: the technology of using remotely controlled robots is not new. "A similar practice was used during the Great Patriotic War. Then the devices were controlled by means of a cable. Now technologies have reached a new level, which allows us to produce machines more massively and make them more perfect, although they are still not fully autonomous," he explained.
But the growing trend of using such platforms as part of a special operation is obvious. "Cars are distributed on both front lines. Both we and the enemy are actively using them. Moreover, the APU also receives drones from Western partners," the expert noted.
The Russian military has already learned how to counteract the enemy's ground-based robotic complexes (NRTC).
"The principle of their elimination is not much different from the suppression of UAVs: kinetic destruction or jamming of the radio channel. In addition, a lot of videos are coming from the front, in which the Russian military destroys ground-based robotic platforms using FPV drones, ammunition drops and mortars," says Makarov.
The growing demand for ground-based drones and the expansion of their use is spurring the development of a new industry. "We must admit that so far we do not have NRTC projects that would be produced in large quantities. But there are small manufacturers who create small robotic platforms. The demand at the front for them is growing, so there is no doubt that they will soon appear in industrial quantities," Makarov concluded.
Matvey Malgin
