Ground drones take to the battlefield in Ukraine

DW (English)

In the ongoing battle against the Russian invader, Ukraine has become a testing ground for high-tech, cutting-edge drone warfare. While air and sea drones are already successfully in use, ground drones are still being tested and modified.

Transcript

00:00These are ground drones. They could soon be a common sight on battlefields around the world.

00:07They can drive to enemy positions and blow themselves up.

00:11They can lay anti-tank mines and take supplies to frontline positions.

00:17They are easy to drive and keep soldiers out of danger.

00:23These men from the Khartia Brigade test and modify ground drones produced by civilian startup companies.

00:31This drone has already laid more than 180 mines and has proved itself quite well.

00:41As you can see, it has returned.

00:44Those other drones that you've seen, they can act as kamikaze or do logistics jobs for small loads.

00:55Various brigades across Ukraine are testing such ground drones.

01:00It's not a centrally coordinated process.

01:03In the Donetsk region, a logistics unit belonging to the 28th Brigade is working with a multi-purpose land drone.

01:12The mission needs a vehicle operator, a drone pilot to track its progress, and a commander.

01:20The drone can lay mines, and it just takes a few minutes to fit on a stretcher to carry a wounded soldier.

01:28They tell us this concept still has yet to be proven on the battlefield.

01:33They've been using this drone for six months, replacing soldiers carrying stuff on foot through dangerous areas.

01:41It can carry 120 kilograms and move across the terrain we see at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour.

01:48This is much faster than infantry with the same weight could go across fields.

01:56The unit is using the drones in the field, helping to take about a ton of cargo to frontline positions each week.

02:03They take some of the burden and risk from soldiers making the trip on foot.

02:08Back with the Kharkiv Brigade.

02:11This man, call sign REST, is working on a drone.

02:15Feedback to the manufacturers only goes so far.

02:19Often the soldiers make crucial modifications themselves.

02:23I'm making a repeater right now, thanks to which we can work at a greater distance on the front.

02:33I've soldered it, now I'm just going to check if everything worked, if I did everything correctly.

02:42Everything is lit, it works, so it'll all be fine.

02:48But sometimes extra distance isn't enough.

02:52There's an arms race going on, especially when it comes to jamming radio signals.

02:58If electronic warfare blocks the signal, that's it.

03:01The drone won't reach the destination, won't deliver ammunition,

03:05won't be able to evacuate the wounded or perform any other combat mission.

03:09It will simply stop in the middle of the field and stand there, and won't be of any use.

03:14Of course, these Ukrainian land drones are not the only ones in this war.

03:19The Russian state is developing such technology too.

03:22With the resources it has, it's making more and doing it faster than the Ukrainians.

03:28But these soldiers are confident.

03:31The main thing is how tactically we use them.

03:35If we use them wisely, they will work.

03:38If we don't use them wisely, they won't work.

03:41But for the most part, they will replace people in many critical areas.

03:47Drones have already changed warfare in the air.

03:51Now they're doing it on the ground.

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