Ukraine makes history with first all‑drone assault on Russians
Faced with significant personnel shortages, Ukrainians are increasingly relying on drones to compensate for the lack of soldiers. Recently, they achieved their first successful attack on Russian positions using only drones.
As reported by ISW based on information from a spokesperson of the Ukrainian brigade fighting north of Kharkiv, Ukrainians conducted their first-ever entirely robotic attack on Russian positions on December 20, near the village of Lypci.
This assault utilized dozens of FPV drones and remotely controlled rovers equipped with machine guns and mine-clearing tools. Previously, drones played supportive roles, assisting assault groups in M2A2 Bradley vehicles. However, in this instance, they were used exclusively. Ukrainians proudly announced that the robotic assault team successfully cleared the trench of Russian forces.
Robots in war — A tandem of robots from the Terminator attacked the Russians
For several years, Ukrainians have been experimenting with remotely controlled rovers and drones in warfare. Traditionally, these have supported human assault groups, but there is also ongoing development of tactics for the exclusive use of robotic strike groups.
These robotic units offer several advantages, most notably their use in high-risk areas. The loss of equipment, which can be reproduced or purchased, is far less costly than losing a soldier, who is difficult to replace. Such concepts once belonged to science fiction like the Terminator universe; however, a Skynet-like drone group has now been deployed against the Russians.
FPV drones, capable of carrying around 7 pounds of payload, are used for deploying weapons like PG-7VL grenades, which can destroy tanks or other armored vehicles. Other payloads include anti-personnel bomblets or rifle grenades. While these drones are designed for single use and are destroyed upon impact, there have been recent instances of FPV drones armed with rifles from the AK family.
Recently, Ukrainians have equipped FPV drones with computing systems capable of utilizing artificial intelligence algorithms to target areas protected by jammers, which typically have a range of about 1,640 feet or less.
Larger drones, referred to as "Baba Yaga," can reach altitudes of up to 9,843 feet and carry payloads ranging from 44 to 66 pounds. These drones not only bomb Russian forces with mortar shells (sometimes guided by a laser beam) but also serve as signal boosters, laying mines behind enemy lines, or transporting robo-dogs.
On the ground, Ukrainians are exploring the use of tracked or wheeled remote-controlled rovers armed with explosives, machine guns, or automatic grenade launchers. These rovers are also employed for mine-laying and demining tasks.
Rovers are controlled via wireless communication or deployable fiber-optic cables over several miles, performing better under Russian jamming attempts.
A significant challenge was developing coordinated tactics for deploying numerous unmanned vehicles in a particular area. Ukrainians report success and expect the lessons learned to be applied in other units.
