Guns or Drones or Both?

[Kirkhill]

Is it just me or do I see elements of Number 5 in that UGV?

DevDroid

We are DevDroid. We develop combat modules and robotic systems with artificial intelligence that enhance the efficiency and safety of military operations.

devdroid.tech

Key technical characteristics:​

• Type and caliber of weapon – M2 Browning machine gun 12.7
• Maximum target engagement range – up to 1 km
• Maximum speed – 7 km/h
• Tactical operating radius – 5 km
• Range – 25 km
• Guidance system – manual, automatic guidance using AI
• Communication systems:
  • radio communication via MikroTik modules (in basic configuration)
  • radio communication Mesh, LTE, Starlink (on customer request)

Ukraine has created a ground-based drone called NUMO, which can carry up to 300 kg of cargo

Ukraine has codified and approved for use in units the multi-purpose NUMO GRC, which is designed to perform various tasks. The new product has six communication options and can perform both combat and logistical tasks.

oboronka.mezha.ua

The NRC is capable of carrying up to 300 kg of cargo, its full weight with load reaches 620 kg. The robot has a range of up to 25 km in the basic configuration and up to 40 km with additional batteries. The speed reaches 7 km/h, and the drone's ground clearance (the distance from the lowest point to the ground) is 235 mm. At the same time, the system deployment time does not exceed 10 minutes.

 

[Kirkhill]

The cost of the DevDroid 12.7 and its delivery

With a delivery time of up to 45 days and a cost ranging from $26,000 to $29,000, the Droid TW 12.7 offers a compelling solution for modern defense needs.

Ukrainian-Made Droid TW 12.7: A NATO-Standardized Robotic Complex to Protect Democracy · TechUkraine

In a significant leap forward for Ukrainian defense technology, DevDroid, a company specializing in robotic turrets, has unveiled the Droid TW 12.7. This groundbreaking robotic complex boasts the first NATO-standardized Browning machine gun module in Ukraine, signaling a new era in defense...

techukraine.org

At that price every heavy weapons team in the battalion should have its own. Transport in the bed of a pickup truck.


Further to the operational use of the Devdroid

According to Cdr Zinkevych, the company deployed the DevDroid TW 12.7 in multiple positions during its 45-day stint at an undisclosed location. It would briefly leave its post every two days for maintenance and ammunition restocking by a crew sheltering 2.4 miles away from the front line.

So the vehicle has a 25 to 40 km range.
It was controlled from 15 km away by Starlink or LTE.
It was rearmed locally at a FARP 2.4 km from the front line every two days.

 

[Kirkhill]

Deleted for redundancy

 

[HavokFour]

So the vehicle has a 25 to 40 km range.
It was controlled from 15 km away by Starlink or LTE.
It was rearmed locally at a FARP 2.4 km from the front line every two days.

Huh, so I was pretty close.

 

[Kirkhill]

A bit more gleaned on the NUMO/DevDroid

• Ground Clearance: 235 mm.
• Dimensions: Approximately 1.5 meters in length and 1.20 meters in width.

 

[HavokFour]

Russian UGV equipped with an EW system taken out by a Ukrainian fibre FPV. I wonder if they lose the ability to communicate with it when the EW turns on?

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1qh3d0q/russian_ground_drone_with_some_sort_of_system_on

Looks like it's x4 of these.

New russian Portable Peroed Anti-UAV Jammers "Cannot Guarantee 100% Effectiveness" Against FPV Drones | Defense Express

When russians try to scale up their developments of anti-drone protection systems, the issue of effectiveness and reliability comes second

en.defence-ua.com

 

[HavokFour]

Wow, that's really going to be a nightmare for Russia if they can pull it off.

Ukraine plans to produce more than 7 million drones in 2026 as part of its unmanned systems capabilities. Unmanned technologies have become the backbone of Ukraine’s asymmetric defense, enabling the establishment of a strike zone with a depth of up to 20 kilometers. The next objective is to extend this zone to 100 kilometers by conducting strikes against russian targets in operational depth.

Sergiy Boyev at OFDEF conference: air defense, drones, and extended-range munitions among Ukraine’s top priorities for 2026​

 

[Kirkhill]

Madyar complaining that his birds are being used tactically, not strategically.

The uncrewed version of WW2 crewed arguments.

Top Ukrainian drone commander says elite pilots hitting Russian troops at extreme close range

The Unmanned Systems Forces' commander said his units' average engagement distance against Russian soldiers is less than 1 mile from the contact line.

www.businessinsider.com

Maj. Robert "Madyar" Brovdi,

his pilots have, over the last month, been engaging enemy troops at an average strike depth of 1.44 km, or 0.89 miles, from the line of contact.

Using elite strike crews for short-range suppression could also be a sign of heightened pressure on Ukrainian lines.

The Unmanned Systems Forces is a relatively new elite formation in Ukraine that focuses on providing strike or reconnaissance support with smaller drones.

branch comprises 12 combat crews who are present on 30% of the front line.

.....

Madyar wrote that his units are assigned to corps commanders, who have been deploying the operators to attack such advancing troops at closer range.

"Not a single Corps commander, who has many hundreds of crews from their own brigades and subordinate units within their area of responsibility, is ready to release SBS work to proper depth,"

ideally, these drone operators try to spot and engage enemy infantry farther away, roughly 6 to 10 miles from the line of contact, as these troops form up or begin to launch assaults.

....

Another version of what to do with the SAS, the Paras, the Marines, the Rifles, the Light Bobs, the Grenadiers......

 

[Kirkhill]

Ukraine says more than 80% of enemy targets now destroyed by drones

One Ukrainian innovation has been a system to verify drone strikes that awards points to successful operators, with an online marketplace for bonus kit.

www.defensenews.com

 

[HavokFour]

Madyar complaining that his birds are being used tactically, not strategically.

The uncrewed version of WW2 crewed arguments.

Top Ukrainian drone commander says elite pilots hitting Russian troops at extreme close range

The Unmanned Systems Forces' commander said his units' average engagement distance against Russian soldiers is less than 1 mile from the contact line.

www.businessinsider.com

Maj. Robert "Madyar" Brovdi,

his pilots have, over the last month, been engaging enemy troops at an average strike depth of 1.44 km, or 0.89 miles, from the line of contact.

Using elite strike crews for short-range suppression could also be a sign of heightened pressure on Ukrainian lines.

The Unmanned Systems Forces is a relatively new elite formation in Ukraine that focuses on providing strike or reconnaissance support with smaller drones.

branch comprises 12 combat crews who are present on 30% of the front line.

.....

Madyar wrote that his units are assigned to corps commanders, who have been deploying the operators to attack such advancing troops at closer range.

"Not a single Corps commander, who has many hundreds of crews from their own brigades and subordinate units within their area of responsibility, is ready to release SBS work to proper depth,"

ideally, these drone operators try to spot and engage enemy infantry farther away, roughly 6 to 10 miles from the line of contact, as these troops form up or begin to launch assaults.

....

Another version of what to do with the SAS, the Paras, the Marines, the Rifles, the Light Bobs, the Grenadiers......

Yeah, this has been a big issue for a long time. Still many at the command level that are slow to or outright refuse to embrace what the modern battlefield is evolving into. The Russian's have the same issue, but I'd argue far worse.

 

[Kirkhill]

Yeah, this has been a big issue for a long time. Still many at the command level that are slow to or outright refuse to embrace what the modern battlefield is evolving into. The Russian's have the same issue, but I'd argue far worse.

And the further from combat the worse the problem?

 

[Kirkhill]

Swarm Forge: Pentagon’s Mass-Drone Test Signals Near-Term Deployment

A demonstration of Auterion's Nemyx showing drones controlled by one operator hitting multiple targets showcases a capability which may be deployed later this year.

www.forbes.com

A new viral video released by the Pentagon for their Swarm Forge initiative shows a single operator hitting three targets with three drones simultaneously. Auterion carried out the demonstration using Kraken Kinetic warheads, and it looks like a global first: a one-to-many lethal strike in a live-fire environment with small drones.

...

The demonstration shows the attack from the operator’s point of view. They just click on each of the three targets, and the drones do the rest, thanks to Auterion’s Nemyx swarm software.

...

“The Nemyx distributed swarming engine runs as an app on each of the drones,” says Meier. “They communicate with each other and organise themselves to attack targets in priority order.”

...

“The drone hardware is completely irrelevant,” says Meier. “In the demonstration we used the SLM-10 reference design, which is inspired by Ukrainian 10-inch FPVs. We share the SLM-10 design with drone makers so they can make a simple FPV which takes advantage of our software.”

The SLM-10 - "Short range loitering munition, 10-inch" is a generic FPV attack drone used in the demonstration.... More
Auterion
The SLM-10 Dragon is typical of the quadcopter attack drones seen in Ukraine, having a 25-kilometer range and 20 minute flight time with a 1.5 kilo payload. Alternatively it can carry a 3 kilo payload over a shorter ranges. This type of design has become as much a mass-produced commodity item as the low-end smartphone, typically costing $500 or less. They destroy everything from tanks to foot soldiers in vast numbers.

.................................

1.5 kg payload 25 km in 20 minutes on its own with precision effect = a 60 mm mortar bomb in your trench or down your hatch.
3 kg payload is an 81 mm mortar bomb.
For $500.

 

[Kirkhill]

Meanwhile, Anduril for $40,000 apiece (24 MUSD for 600 by the summer)

Strike drones with lethal firepower set to be delivered to US Marines

Called Bolt-M systems, the machine-learning infused strike drones put lethal precision firepower in the hands of individual soldiers.

interestingengineering.com

 

[HavokFour]

First made public in 2023, seems like this big boy is finally ready.

https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com%2Fpost%2F3mdv56fjj4223

Old video of an early prototype.

 

[Kirkhill]

Pentagon picks 25 vendors to show off one-way attack drones in the Gauntlet competition - Breaking Defense

After military operators fly the drones, the department plans to award deals totaling $150 million.

breakingdefense.com

Back to the dawn of aviation - loads of bright ideas from many good idea fairies for the discerning professional to sift through and apply to their reality.

Or another analogy - Gatling, Maxim, Vickers, Chauchat or Colt "Potato Digger" ?

 

[HavokFour]

Some details have come out about Hedgehog 2025 held last May in Estonia.

“We are f—”: 10 Ukrainians with drones wipe out two NATO battalions in war game - Euromaidan Press

Ukrainian drone team wiped out two NATO battalions in a day during Estonia's Hedgehog 2025 exercise, exposing the alliance's drone warfare gap.

euromaidanpress.com

 

[Kirkhill]

From the above

.....

Ukrainian units, hardened by two years of full-scale war, rely on real-time data-sharing across command levels to accelerate that process.

By contrast, NATO procedures often restrict information flows and depend on slower coordination mechanisms. ​

NATO hasn't rewritten its playbook for the drone age​

.....

Autonomous soldiers. Just as the USN CNO needs autonomous skippers.

Armies and navies populated by Paddy Maynes and Hornblowers.

And that frightens the heck out of our peace-loving politicians, accountants and lawyers.

It demands trust in people and willingness to manage errors/consequences when they get it wrong.

....

Which brings us to this article

‘Trading blood for steel’: Army’s new combat philosophy puts autonomous robots on front lines

The Army is investing heavily in a strategy that will team soldiers with autonomous drones on the battlefield, with the goal of leveraging next-generation technology to save American lives, the U.S. Army’s chief technology officer said in an exclusive interview.

www.washingtontimes.com

"The Army is investing heavily in a strategy that will team soldiers with autonomous drones on the battlefield, with the goal of leveraging next-generation technology to save American lives, the U.S. Army’s chief technology officer said in an exclusive interview.

"The service is searching for ways to fundamentally change how soldiers fight and win future wars. At the heart of that is a push for replaceable, smart technology — such as autonomous robots — to move ahead of human soldiers in the most dangerous situations. Army CTO Alex Miller said the Army’s top priorities include developing drone technology for overcoming battlefield obstacles, resupplying troops under attack, and evacuating wounded soldiers from the front lines.

"Mr. Miller told the Threat Status weekly podcast that the Army is completely changing the way it approaches those missions. The objective, he said, is to make the Army as a whole faster and more effective, rather than just giving soldiers more tools.

"“What we’re doing is taking a step back and going, ‘What’s the best way to do that now with the technology that’s available?’ Maybe it’s robots actually going up there,” Mr. Miller said. “So that the first thing that the enemy sees is not American soldiers, it’s American technology.”"

.....

But is the issue new toys to deal with this specific battlefield? Or is it giving troops in the field the autonomy and the resources to adapt to the enemy in real time, not after a Congressional Committee or Royal Commission reviews the details of the last disaster?

....

Or putting it another way, living mission command and swarming the enemy.