Drones and robots redefine modern warfare in Ukraine

Scenes that until recently seemed to belong to the world of science fiction are becoming a reality in the war in Ukraine. Alongside the mass use of drones, there are walking robots entering the battlefield. As recently captured by cameras, they are being delivered by other unmanned machines.

A short film shared by Ukrainians documents an experiment using a drone and a walking robot. We see the unmanned aerial vehicle taking off with an attached robotic "dog," then lowering its flight altitude and dropping its cargo from a small height to the ground. The robot falls but gets up shortly after and starts moving.

The test was meant to check the feasibility of transporting machines by other machines in wartime conditions and quickly delivering robots to the front line or isolated units. As seen in the film, the experiment conducted in controlled, safe conditions was successful. What specific machines were involved?

According to the ZBiAM service, the hexacopter is likely a Baba Yaga-type drone. These are large unmanned aerial vehicles capable of carrying a payload of 12-20 kg (26-44 lbs).

The drone can fly to and return from a place up to 12 km (7.5 miles) away, aided by the high resilience to Russian electronic warfare systems declared by the Ukrainians.

Due to its significant payload capacity, this type of machine has gained popularity as a strike drone. It attacks Russians using transported mortar shells with an 82 mm or 120 mm calibre and modified anti-tank grenade launcher projectiles equipped with single or tandem HEAT warheads.

A modification allows Baba Yaga to be used with precision weapons. For this purpose, the drone was equipped with a laser target designator and a part of a guided anti-tank missile (a head with a guidance system). Equipped as such, the drone can effectively attack pinpoint targets while staying out of range of small arms fire using its high flight altitude.

The load carried by the Baba Yaga in the video is likely a Unitree Go2 robot dog. This is a popular commercial walking platform in its class—in the basic variant, the robot is available in Canada for around CAD 4,300.

The machine is 71 cm (28 inches) long, 41 cm (16 inches) high, and weighs 15 kg (33 lbs). It can carry an 8 kg (18 lbs) load (overloaded – which affects things like operating time – even up to 12 kg, or 26 lbs). The robot can move at speeds from 9-18 km/h (5.6-11 mph), and its battery lasts (depending on the version) 1-4 hours of operation.

The Unitree Go2 owes its situational awareness to sensors like LIDAR (doubled in some variants), a high-resolution wide-angle camera, a depth sensor, and a pressure sensor.

The robot is equipped with a full set of wireless communication modules (WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G), lighting, and microphones that allow, among other things, voice recognition. It can be fitted with an additional arm with a gripper that can carry up to 0.5 kg (1.1 lbs).

The Unitree Go2 was developed as a teaching aid for the educational market, but thanks to its versatility, it has found applications in many other fields. Ukrainian soldiers use these machines for patrol tasks.

Due to their capabilities, walking robots, exemplified by the Unitree Go2, are increasingly being used by the armed forces of various countries. Although they are much slower than wheeled or tracked machines, their legs' significant range of motion enables them to traverse uneven, obstacle-filled terrain and use stairs.

Leading manufacturers like Boston Dynamics, ANYbotics, and Unitree have committed not to use their developed machines for weapon production. Despite this, even unarmed walking robots prove useful for the military, although their implementation faces challenges.

The US Army's tests on "mules"—transport machines also known as Alpha Dog—ended in failure a decade ago. Although the robots' terrain capabilities were high and the 180 kg (397 lbs) of cargo they carried provided significant assistance to soldiers, the power supply was an issue.

For longer tasks, batteries were insufficient and gas-powered engines were too noisy.

Despite this, walking machines such as the Ghost Robotics Vision 60 are increasingly being used as mobile sentries intended for patrolling around airports and military bases. These machines served in the US Air Force and the Japan Self-Defense Forces, where they were equipped with a high-power LRAD loudspeaker system.

Tests are also being conducted on walking robots equipped with various weapons, such as sniper rifles (SPUR combat robots) and automatic firearms or even – as in experiments conducted by the US Marines – anti-tank grenade launchers. So far, however, no reports have been of such machines being used in combat.