Unmanned ground vehicles to see combat in Ukraine

Development of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) capable of carrying weapon systems would be given secondary priority, Minister Gavrylov said, speaking at a press conference with Ukrainian publisher Industrial Portal.

Such combat-style UGVs could carry automatic grenade launchers, machine guns or anti-tank weapons and be controlled by operators to hit targets from ambushes or from artificial cover.

Development of stationary ground vehicles armed with machine guns or optical stations for defensive purposes will also be considered as a third priority, Minister Gavrylov said. Such systems would be immobile but would be controlled by an operator from a different location.

Late last year, autonomous systems manufacturer Milrem Robotics and German firm Krauss-Maffei Wegmann were contracted by the German Ministry of Defence to deliver 14 THeMIS unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine.

The country has also reportedly tested domestically produced RSVK-M2 HUNTER unmanned ground vehicles in eastern Ukraine.

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.