A Ukrainian defense company says it has adapted one of its ground robots to carry and launch fiber-optic drones — a type of device considered difficult to jam by electronic warfare means. The system would allow Ukrainian forces to launch drones closer to the front line, without directly exposing the operators, writes Business Insider.
Ukrainian land robot Ratel H/FOTO:X
Ratel Robotics this week released images of its Ratel H model, equipped with a protected drone compartment. In the recording, the lid of the launcher opens and a small drone, connected by a thin fiber optic cable, is sent into the air. The unmanned ground vehicle thus functions as a mobile launch platform.
The company's CEO, Taras Ostapciuk, said the robot “becomes a base station” for up to four drones it can carry. Traditionally, such launch points are operated by military personnel located relatively close to the danger zone in order to lift the drones into the air.
According to him, the robot can transport the operators to a safe area, after which it continues on its own to the front line to launch the drones. The military remotely controlling both the ground vehicle and the fiber-optic drones can stay “in the safest place possible.”
“The goal is to make everything as safe as possible for the personnel involved in the mission”he said.
Why fiber optic drones matter
Fiber optic drones receive their commands through a physical cable, not radio waves. This means they cannot be jammed by electronic warfare systems — a technique frequently used on the front lines to disrupt the signal of classic drones.
However, these devices have limitations: the range is limited by the length of the cable, and the wire can be cut or snagged in flight.
It is unclear how many of the systems developed by Ratel Robotics have already been adapted for this type of mission and whether they are in widespread use today.
Terrestrial robots, an increasingly visible role
The concept of a “drone carrier” is not new in itself. Ukrainian military officials have previously claimed that Russia uses medium-sized attack drones to transport smaller drones similar to an “aircraft carrier”.
Ground robots still make up a small proportion of Ukraine's total unmanned missions, but their use is growing.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recently said that Ukrainian forces conducted more than 7,000 combat and logistics missions with the help of ground-based robotic systems in January alone. He added that the pace of production and upgrades is accelerating.
Ukraine uses ground robots for a variety of tasks: transport of ammunition and equipment, evacuation of the wounded, mines and demining, attacks on Russian positions and kamikaze missions.
The Ratel H model can carry more than 400 kilograms and has a range of about 60 kilometers, according to the company. The platform is touted as multi-functional and can be equipped with weaponry or electronic warfare systems.
Lessons for the West
The war in Ukraine is closely scrutinized in Western capitals, where militaries are trying to draw lessons on how they might deal with a conventional conflict with Russia.
Ground robotic systems are attracting increasing attention in the West. Although Western militaries have tested similar technologies, they have not been used on the same scale or in such a wide variety of roles.
Ukrainian companies, faced with the direct pressure of war, however, are accelerating the development of these technologies — turning the battlefield into a laboratory for new forms of automated warfare.
