Ukrainian drones deliver robots directly into battle by sea and air

In the latest twist on battlefield innovations, Ukraine has used both flying drone carriers and drone boats to send ground robots armed with weapons or explosives into battle.

The drone-assisted deployments have enabled slower wheeled robots to bypass tough terrain and Russian defenses, and to carry out an unusual robotic amphibious assault on a contested position. Such tactics also showcase the Ukrainian military’s ongoing experimentation with using drones and robots to offset a Russian military advantage in manpower while also sparing Ukrainian soldiers from making dangerous assaults.

On July 19, a Russian military Telegram channel posted a video showing a Ukrainian hexacopter drone carrying a ground robot suspended below by a cable, according to the Ukrainian government-run news platform United24. The Russian Telegram channel described the Ukrainian heavy bomber drone as deploying a four-wheeled ARK-1 robot armed with explosive anti-tank mines on the ground where it continued toward Russian military positions—and apparently generated plenty of outraged comments from pro-Kremlin social media users.

It’s unclear how successful that particular mission was. But the tactic could improve the survivability of ground robots by helping them evade Russian aerial surveillance and drone strikes while closing with their targets more quickly. The ARK-1 robot can roll along at a top speed of nearly 28 miles per hour, although some robots are considerably slower.

Ukrainian ground robots also joined a Ukrainian military operation on June 25 that targeted the Kinburn Spit, a sandy and narrow peninsula that extends westward into the Black Sea and is connected to the Russian-occupied left bank of the Kherson Oblast.

Russian military forces captured the Kinburn Spit in June 2022 and set up positions there to help control southern Ukraine’s port access to the Black Sea, although they began withdrawing from the peninsula in early June as Ukraine’s mid- and long-range drone strike campaigns strained Russian supply lines.