Ukraine has a new combat robot the size of a passenger car. Delivered to the Argos Unmanned Systems Company of the National Guard’s 2nd Shostka Regiment, the robot can carry up to 1.5 tonnes of ammunition and supplies and evacuate three wounded soldiers at once, with no crew on board, according to the National Guard.
Ground robots already handle many of the most dangerous transport and medical evacuation missions on the front lines. In October, they carried out a record 31,398 missions—more than four times the number in January, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence. This spares soldiers the riskiest journeys. The new robot marks a step up in scale: it does the work of both a truck and an ambulance, with no driver on board.
More of a machine than a robot
Unlike the compact platforms Ukraine has deployed by the thousands, the new robot is the size of a vehicle, with a diesel engine and all-wheel drive for rough terrain, according to the National Guard.
“This isn’t just the compact robotic system we’re used to. In terms of size and design, it’s more like an actual car,” says an operator with the call sign Odinson.
Fewer roads, fewer targets
Size matters for survival. Russian drone crews hunt along Ukraine’s supply routes, targeting even ground robots, so every trip into the gray zone carries the risk of being hit. A vehicle that can carry more in a single run means fewer trips.
The heavy-duty robots Ukraine deployed this autumn can carry around 500 kilograms per trip. The new robot has a payload capacity of 1.5 tonnes—roughly three times as much.
Ukraine’s Defence Ministry previously said it wanted to shift as much frontline logistics work as possible to robots.
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