A concept image of Ukraine's Gimli UGV, an example of the UGVs that Ukraine's MoD wants to be more widely used. (Ministry of Defence of Ukraine)
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is seeking to increase the use of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) by enhancing domestic manufacturing and deploying “fully robotic units within combat brigades” on the front line, Ukraine's Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov said in a 5 February social media post.
The “fully robotic units” were formed based on the experience of military units that use UGVs in combat. UGVs in Ukraine have a wide range of use including offensive and defensive operations, logistical support, evacuating wounded personnel, and demining, Umerov said.
Ukraine's MoD is looking to speed up the process of domestic UGV development to make them operationally ready.
The Gimli robotic system, a UGV which can be equipped with weapons as what the MoD called a “mobile combat module”, was officially approved as a weapons system in standard use, according to 4 February MoD press release. The statement cited the Main Directorate for Support of the Life Cycle of Weapons and Military Equipment of the MoD as the original source for the announcement.
The Gimli is equipped with an electric motor and is capable of operating in night-time conditions, the MoD said, adding that its battery lasts for “several hours during continuous operation”, without giving further technical details due to operational security.
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