Ukraine's Defence Ministry unveils AI-powered Droid TW combat robot

Yahoo

25-04-2025

Ukraine's Defence Ministry has unveiled the Droid TW ground robotic system, which provides fire support to the Ukrainian defence forces. The system's main difference from many other platforms is that it was designed and built for reconnaissance and strike missions.
Source: Ukraine's Defence Ministry
Details: In addition, artificial intelligence is integrated into the Droid TW system to recognise enemy personnel. It increases the effectiveness of fire support and surveillance through remote control and autonomy in difficult combat conditions.
The Defence Ministry said that the development of Droid TW began several years ago. In 2023, the first field tests took place, and in December 2024, the platform was codified for delivery to the Armed Forces.
"The first Droid TW models were based on a 12.7 mm Browning machine gun. Today, the model line has been expanded to include a 7.62 mm machine gun. Depending on the modification, the ammunition can be 480 or 1,000 rounds, which can hit enemy manpower or equipment at a distance of up to 1 km," the Ministry of Defence said.
The robotic platform can be used both day and night and is equipped with a thermal imager that offers different display modes on the operator's monitor. The target detection range is up to 1.5 km during the day and up to 1 km at night.
"Additional equipment allows detecting, recognising and tracking targets in an autonomous mode. The system also has a ballistic calculation system to improve fire accuracy. Its equipment supports military communication systems, as well as Starlink and LTE technologies," the ministry explained.
The platform can be transported in a pickup truck or on a trailer. It can be deployed into combat readiness in just 5 minutes. After that, the Droid TW is ready to engage the enemy via remote control using a tablet or gamepad.
One key difference between ground drones and aerial drones is that the former carry a much heavier payload – hundreds of kilograms.
Despite the advantages of robotic platforms, Ukraine is not yet using them on a large scale against Russian forces. The main reasons are that most of the robots remain technologically underdeveloped, and the army has not yet fully learned how to deploy them effectively.
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