It is planned to use unmanned land platforms to transport ammunition and water to the military on the front lines, as well as to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield.
Ground robotic platforms developed by Ukrainian engineers can now shoot down Russian FPV drones on the battlefield. Developer Taras Ostapchuk posted a video of the drone testing on his Facebook page.
It has a four-wheeled ground platform that moves across a snowy field. A drone circles above it and after a few seconds, it loses control, descends rapidly as if exposed to electronic warfare, and hits the ground.
Taras Ostapchuk captioned the video footage: “Our evacuation platforms have learned to land FPV drones. All that remains is to press a button on the remote control and, plus or minus, we have eliminated some of the danger during evacuation.”
Judging by the images, we are talking about the multi-purpose logistics platform Ratel M. Carrying capacity is 250 kilograms, battery life varies between 5 hours in summer and 8 hours in winter. This is a four-wheel drive all-wheel drive vehicle with a radio control range of up to 6 km. In field tests, the ground robot has already shown good results in overcoming rough terrain and steep climbs.
Ratel M can be used to transport ammunition, water and food to the army at the front and to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield. For the second purpose, the robotic wheeled platform is equipped with a special orange stretcher. They can be placed on a wheeled platform or towed and attached to the robot. In the second case, the equipment will be able to take a maximum of three people from the battlefield (provided that they sit on a stretcher). In tow mode, the robot can lift a load weighing up to 300 kilograms.
In addition, the logistics platform can be equipped with equipment to combat anti-personnel mines. A special “insert” is installed in the front of the Ratel M. As the robot moves, its “blades” shovel soil and detonate mines placed by the enemy.
At the beginning of January, Taras Ostapchuk reported that the logistics tractor had passed all tests and was ready for operation. On January 15, mass production of this equipment for soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began.
Let us recall that at the end of November, Ratel S ground combat unmanned aerial vehicles went into mass production for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Fighters use it as a mobile warhead or a combat module carrying anti-tank mines. Thanks to technology, an operator from a safe location can blow up an enemy tank or bunker.
And at the beginning of September 2023, we wrote about how the Ukrainian robot “Honey Badger” showed itself in battle. The kamikaze robot carries 40 kilograms of explosives and is currently helping some units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine deliver mines directly to the positions of the invaders.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.