Ukraine debuts drone-delivered combat robot on battlefield - Forbes
Drone and robot teams are already being used successfully (photo: Brave1)
Ukraine's Defense Forces carried out the first airborne assault involving robots delivered to the battlefield by drones, Forbes reports.
According to the journalists, the role of the air carrier was performed by a heavy drone that delivered the ARK-1 ground robotic system deep behind Russian lines.
The new tactic has already been dubbed the "marsupial" tactic, by analogy with marsupial animals. It essentially involves one vehicle transporting and then releasing another.
Interestingly, the idea of using drones to deliver other unmanned aerial vehicles or ground robots existed even before the start of the full-scale war. However, Ukraine was the first to apply it on the battlefield.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are already actively using a similar principle with FPV drones: larger drones carry smaller ones closer to the target, after which the smaller drones proceed to carry out their mission.
Moreover, a similar approach has also been tested at sea. During the first-ever uncrewed amphibious landing on the Kinburn Spit, an uncrewed surface vessel delivered a tracked ground robot equipped with a remotely operated machine gun to the shore. After landing, the vehicle moved inland, reportedly for reconnaissance and to search for remaining Russian troops.
The Pentagon tested similar technologies in 2003, 2009, and 2014. As part of the STORK project, a drone dropped a ground robot by parachute for reconnaissance missions, while Fire Scout and K-MAX unmanned helicopters practiced deploying robotic platforms. However, none of those projects reached actual combat use.
Unlike the United States, which had significantly greater resources, Ukraine managed to create a functioning system with a limited budget and has already used it in real combat conditions.
Earlier, Ukraine's Defense Forces successfully launched counterattacks and are conducting offensive operations in the Kharkiv region.
Ukrainian air defenses neutralized numerous aerial targets during Russia's latest attack on August 4.
In addition, Ukraine's latest Magura naval drone struck Russian ground targets in Crimea for the first time.
