According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, its armed forces completed a record 31,398 missions using unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) last month. The data were recorded using the nation’s Delta situational awareness software.
These numbers reveal just how important technology like this is now in modern warfare. October’s UGV mission total was more than four times the 7,511 missions reported in January.
That’s an approximately 318 percent increase. It also represents an average of just over 1,000 robotic missions a day throughout the month.
Such growth goes to show that UGVs have matured from what was largely an experimental technology to a bulwark of Ukraine’s national defense. It also appears to reveal that UGVs are increasingly being used for jobs that would traditionally have been done by soldiers.
“UGVs are the technology that makes it possible to minimize the risk to humans on the front,” the Defense Ministry said.
UGVs growing in importance
As for the drones in question, UGVs are ground-based robotic platforms that can be remotely operated. They come in various configurations, including small wheeled or tracked platforms capable of transporting ammunition, food, water, and m...