Latest news with #UGV
Business Insider
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
A front-line Ukrainian unit says it made a new kind of robot to shoot down Russian planes and helicopters
A front-line Ukrainian military unit said it built a new robot that can shoot down Russian aircraft. It is said to be the first weapon of its kind in this conflict. The remote-controlled robot offers air defense solutions to front-line fighters without requiring soldiers to expose themselves to the prolific threat of drones. Ukraine has constantly found itself needing air defense options for both its cities and for its troops fighting along the front lines, and has found innovative ways to get there. "Russian aviation poses a threat not only to peaceful cities but also directly to the front line," Ukraine's 28th Mechanized Brigade explained in a post on the Telegram messaging app, adding that Russian planes, helicopters, and reconnaissance drones appear over infantry positions regularly. In the past, soldiers could use man-portable air defenses to shoot down the aircraft, "but now the situation has changed," the 28th said, according to a translation of the statement. Russian drones"literally hang in the air, tracking every movement and not even allowing soldiers to raise their heads from the trenches." The unit said it responded to this problem by arming a ground robot with an "Igla" surface-to-air missile system, developing the country's first air defense system mounted on an uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV). The 9K38 Igla is a Soviet-era man-portable air defense system, known as MANPADS. It is essentially a shoulder-launched weapon that fires munitions at higher-threat targets like planes, helicopters, and cruise missiles that might be beyond the reach of machine guns. It's unclear how many targets this robotic system will have the chance to engage. Over the course of the war, Ukraine has destroyed or damaged over 300 Russian aircraft and helicopters, per the open-source intelligence site Oryx, which tracks equipment losses on both sides, but aircraft of all different types are still flying. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine triggered an arms race, with Moscow and Kyiv rushing to develop and field new technology that could help give them an edge in the grinding conflict. Drone warfare and robotics have emerged as leading areas of innovation by far, as uncrewed systems are being used in combat on the ground, in the air, and at sea. Russia and Ukraine have continuously tried to adapt their drones to outsmart the enemy. The air defense robot is one of the latest examples of innovation with UGVs. The Ukrainian armed forces, for instance, have been experimenting with automated machine gun turrets, which allow troops to keep their heads down in combat. Front-line units are mounting .50-caliber machine guns and grenade launchers on ground vehicles. And a Ukrainian company is said to have developed a new ground combat robot that can carry and launch multiple first-person-view drones, acting like a mothership. Other UGVs can carry out additional combat and logistics missions, such as delivering ammunition to troop positions, evacuating wounded soldiers, placing land mines, and detonating next to enemy armored vehicles.
The Star
26-07-2025
- Science
- The Star
A few of Stride's ‘gadgets'
HOW does the Science and Technology Research Institute for Defence (Stride) envision the modernisation of Malaysia's military capabilities – such as through robotics, aerospace, or advanced materials – translating into tangible operational advantages for the country's armed forces in the coming decade? Stride director-general Nor Azlan Mohd Ramli outlines several key initiatives that cover operations in the air, on the ground and at sea as part of the Malaysia's 'Future Force' concept. He says among the key initiatives are Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV), co-developed with local industry, which supports missions ranging from surveillance and logistics to potential combat operations. 'Future enhancements will incorporate swarm capabilities and advanced sensor suites.' And apart from the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) as border monitoring and in tactical combat missions, in the maritime domain, Stride is developing unmanned maritime systems to conduct mine detection, coastal patrols and anti-piracy operations, expanding Malaysia's autonomous maritime capabilities. At the same time, Nor Azlan says, to complement those efforts, innovations in materials science are also underway. 'The development of lightweight composite materials for military application aims to increase durability, extend platform lifespans, and reduce maintenance costs. For instance, in the field of fabric technology, Stride has developed TropiKamo®, a near-infrared (NIR) camouflage fabric meticulously designed for optimal performance in tropical climates. Engineered to provide effective concealment across both the visible and infrared spectrums, this advanced material significantly enhances stealth capabilities in Malaysia's jungle and semi-urban operational environments, says Nor Azlan. Meanwhile, also in place is Stride's Centre of Excellence for Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Technology, which will serve as a national testing hub to certify systems to international standards, improve resilience to electromagnetic interference (EMI), and support the safe integration of electronic and weapon systems. 'By reducing reliance on foreign testing centres, the EMC facility will also help elevate locally developed defence technologies to export-ready standards, thereby reinforcing industrial empowerment and technological independence.' Nor Azlan says between 2025 and 2035, Stride's initiatives are set to deliver measurable impact for the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), including improved operational efficiency, cost savings and enhanced deterrence. 'Upgraded C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Recon-naissance) systems will enable seamless coordination across all operational domains.' He stresses that the MAF are expected to possess fully integrated, rapid-response capabilities, enabling effective action against simultaneous threats across multiple operational domains. 'Unmanned systems are anticipated to assume a significant share of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and logistics roles, potentially reducing personnel casualties in high-risk environments. Overall, Nor Azlan says indigenous UAVs and UGVs, coupled with strengthened cyber defence capabilities, will reinforce Malaysia's deterrence posture, supporting missions against piracy, smuggling and territorial incursions. 'Locally developed and tested advanced materials will ensure system reliability in Malaysia's tropical operating environments. 'These advancements will also increase Malaysia's participation in regional initiatives such as Asean and Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) exercises, enhancing defence diplomacy and regional stability.'
Forbes
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Money Is The Secret Weapon In Ukraine's Battlefield Robot Surge
TERMIT UGV with minelayiing attachment and weapon turret The TERMIT is the latest robot to be codified and approved by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. This small, tracked vehicle made by Tencore is an Uncrewed Ground Vehicle or UGV, one of many now appearing in Ukraine. Previously they appeared in small numbers, this year is will see large-scale deployments as production of low-cost UGVs moves from hundreds to tens of thousands. Some 20 different units already use TERMITs, but the government stamp of approval means commanders can order them at scale through official channels. TERMIT is in demand because it supplies what soldiers want now. This is thanks to a streamlined development process, close contacts with the front line – and investment funding. Technology At The Speed Of Need In the West procurement of a new UGV can take years. Things have to move faster in Ukraine. TERMIT UGV with machinegun turret 'Ukraine operates in 'wartime R&D mode,' with direct feedback from the frontlines, no bureaucracy, and a focus on what works,' Maksym Vasylchenko, Co-owner and CEO of Tencore told me. 'Decisions that take months elsewhere happen in days here. Additionally, the government, volunteers, and private sector collaborate closely, and the end-users – soldiers – are also involved from day one.' The goal from day one has been to develop a machine that could get soldiers out of the firing line. The company slogan is 'Let robots fight.' Replacing humans in a wide variety of hazardous tasks requires something profoundly modular and flexible, which has been key to TERMIT's design. It can act as a logistics carrier, bringing 300 kilos /660 pounds of supplies to the front line through the gauntlet of FPV atttacks. TERMIT can go out in front of defensive positions to lay mines or go ahead of an assault to clear enemy minefields. And it can carry a weapon (a machinegun or grenade launcher) to provide fire support. The TERMIT can be easily adapted for logistics, electronic warfare, minelaying and other roles But TERMIT can also take on a variety of less obvious roles. It can act as a communications relay, or an electronic warfare unit, or use a winch to recover other vehicles, or evacuate injured troops. This sort of requirement drove the design. 'TERMIT began as a tactical concept from frontline requests,' says Vasylchenko. 'The first working prototype was developed in weeks using available materials. After the initial field testing, we worked closely with combat units to refine design, control systems, and operational roles.' TERMIT had to be modular to take on a variety of different roles. It also needed to be rugged, transportable, easy to repair in the field, and suitable for low-cost mass production. But while FPV developers can assemble their vehicles on kitchen tables on a shoestring budget, ground robots require much greater investment. And that can be a major problem. The Secret Ingredient: Money Ukraine is well known as a tremendous driver of military innovation, arguably leading the world in drone systems, But companies looking for investment funding from abroad tend to some up short for a whole raft of reasons. 'Where do I start?' asks Perry Boyle, CEO of MITS Capital. The initials stand for Military Innovation Technology Solutions; it was founded in 2024 to bring investment capital into Ukraine's domestic defence industry. 'You have to be a true believer in Ukraine to invest in it.' One of the most urgent roles for Ukrainian UGVs is transporting supplies to the front line Boyle lists the lack of secure returns, issues with war insurance for plants that may be hit by Russian missiles, and export restrictions which mean that the only customer is currently the Ukrainian military. There is a lack of working capital available from banks in Ukraine, and Western banks do not lend money to Ukrainian defence companies. In addition, Boyle notes the lack of an IPO market, Ukrainian capital export controls, and what amounts to price controls. Add to this a reputation for corruption in military procurement. 'The Government of Ukraine could do much to mitigate these impediments, but after three years has done frustratingly little.' says Boyle. 'So, there is almost no private capital coming into the country.' This goes some way to explain why so many Ukrainian defense enterprises are small-scale operations run by volunteers backed by fundraisers. Outfits like MITS could help change that, if the organization seeking funding meets their criteria. 'We've worked with Tencore for half a year, and did a stringent due diligence,' Denys Gurak, CIO & Co-Founder at MITS Capital. 'They've overperformed all of our indicators.' He notes that two of the core founders had extensive international expertise in building factories, an important factor when investing in a company which aims to scale up production rapidly. With investment funding from MITS, Tencore rapidly moved TERMIT from a prototype to certified end product with a large base of satisfied users. 'UGVs are no longer just tools for niche tasks,' says Vasylchenko. 'They are now essential assets for logistics, assault, evacuation, and reconnaissance. Their rapid growth reflects battlefield demand, grassroots engineering, and military openness to experimentation' Leading Russia – And The World Russia has matched Ukraine in FPV development, ramping up production at a similar rate to Ukraine and even leading in areas like thermal imaging FPVs and fiber optic FPVs. But in ground robots, where Russian ought to have to have an advantage, Ukraine has moved ahead. Before the war Russia had some notable UGVs systems like the Uran-9 which had seen extensive combat in Syria in 2018 and the Marker which was touted as having advanced AI. With far greater investment funding available, the Russian defence industry should have converted this technology into effective fighting machines. This has not happened. 'Russia's UGV projects like Uran-9 or Marker are expensive, centralized, and largely disconnected from field reality,' says Vasylchenko. 'In contrast, Ukraine's ecosystem is decentralized, fast-moving, and driven by frontline necessity. Ukrainian UGVs are battle-proven and constantly evolving. Russia's remain largely theoretical.' Russia's Uran-9 robotic combat vehicles, seen in the Victory Day military parade in Red Square in ... More 2022 — not on the battlefield in Ukraine And while Ukraine has been developing and fielding UGVs at pace to save soldiers' lives, Russia has no such imperative. 'In Russia, soldiers have no value to the military as humans, only was weapons of war. Russia sees its soldiers as expendable. Ukraine sees its soldiers as its family. Thus, the incentive for innovation is much higher in Ukraine than in Russia,' says Boyle. Meanwhile in the rest of the world, UGV development continues at a considerably slower pace. 'The link between the front line and the factory floor is stronger in Ukraine than in a NATO country, resulting in much shorter product improvement cycles,' says Boyle. This is partly a question of cost. '[In Ukraine] A UGV can cost as little as $5,000,' says Boyle. TERMIT is perhaps a tenth the cost of NATO equivalents. Few other suppliers quote pries, but In 2024 Milrem supplied 60 TypeX and THeMIS UGVs to the UAE in a package worth $200m, suggesting the robots cost a million dollars plus each. These UGVs may be significantly larger and more sophisticated than TERMIT so they are not directly comparable. But this sort of expensive hardware is not suitable where logistics UGVs are hit by Russian FPVs on a regular basis. The point of UGVs to replace people is that, unlike people, they are expendable. That only become possible when they are cheap enough be be acquired in large numbers. Tencore aims to produce 2,000 UGVs by the end of 2025, but that is just the start. Meanwhile a host of other Ukrainian companies are turning out their own designs, and the most successful will attract more funding and bigger orders. Expect to0 see a lot more in th enear future. 'Their rapid growth reflects battlefield demand, grassroots engineering, and military openness to experimentation,' says Vasylchenko. 'UGVs are no longer just tools for niche tasks. They are now essential assets for logistics, assault, evacuation, and reconnaissance.'
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MITS Capital Invests $3.74M in Ukrainian Robotics Company Tencore
KYIV, Ukriane and ROME, July 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ukrainian-American investment group MITS Capital has invested $3.74 million in Tencore, a Ukraine-based developer of the multi-mission unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) platform TerMIT. The deal was announced at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025) in Rome. The investment was structured through Ukraine's legal regime and deployed directly into Tencore's Ukrainian legal entity. "MITS Capital is proud to sign the first contract between a US investor and a Ukrainian DefenseTech company," said Perry Boyle, CEO & Founding Partner at MITS Capital. He also emphasized that this transaction sets a precedent for many future deals to come and marks a step toward harmonizing Ukraine's legal regime for technology investments with EU standards. The investment was enabled through close collaboration with the government team, facilitated by the association of Ukrainian product tech companies, United which supported all key stages of the process. Tencore is one of Ukraine's fastest-growing UGV developers. Its flagship platform, TerMIT, is NATO-standardized, battle-tested, and actively deployed on the front lines. The company has already produced over 800 units and intends to boost production to 2,000 units by the end of 2025. The newly secured capital will be used to scale both R&D and manufacturing capacities. "This agreement creates a clear legal path for international investors to deploy capital directly into Ukrainian entities without workarounds," said Denys Gurak, CIO & Founding Partner at MITS Capital. Since early 2025, Ukraine's a special legal regime designed for tech companies, has expanded to the DefenseTech sector, with over 300 defense residents. Article 29 of Ukraine's Law "On Stimulating the Development of the Digital Economy» (also known as the "Diia City law") provides the legal basis for convertible loan agreements, Gurak explained. Investors are further protected by contract clauses that specify the applicable law and arbitration venues, including countries whose judicial decisions are automatically recognized in Ukraine. "This mechanism makes investing in Ukrainian legal entities as secure as investing in a Delaware C-Corp or an Estonian e-Residency company," Gurak added. "Our goal is to get Russia out of Ukraine and Ukraine into NATO's defense supply chain," summarized Perry Boyle, noting that he expects to see more similar deals shortly. About MITS Capital Founded in 2024, MITS Capital LLC is a Kyiv- and New York-based investment group focused on funding Ukrainian defense innovations. Its platform includes the MITS Accelerator, MITS Lightning Fund, and an investment advisory unit, with a mission to bring global capital into Ukraine's defense industrial base. According to the latest Ernst & Young report, MITS Lightning Fund is currently the largest international investor in Ukraine's DefenseTech ecosystem. As of July 2025, MITS Capital's portfolio includes 11 companies. About Tencore Tencore is a Ukrainian developer and supplier of combat-proven robotic platforms, powered by a 200+ person team. Tencore's solutions are co-developed with Ukrainian military personnel and tailored for modern battlefield conditions. The TerMIT platform features a modular architecture that adapts quickly to different mission profiles – from logistics and evacuation to engineering support (including mining and demining), and direct fire support on the front line. About United United is an industry association of over 140 Ukrainian product tech companies. Its mission is to create a global growth environment for Ukrainian tech businesses. About Launched in February 2022, is a special legal and tax framework tailored for the technology sector. As of July 2025, it has over 2,000 registered resident companies. Additional visual materials available here: MITS Capital Tencore Media Contact:Valentyna Dudko397868@ View original content: SOURCE MITS Capital
Mint
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Ukraine is inching towards robot-on-robot fighting
A brutalist complex somewhere in Kyiv, strewn with rubbish and weeds, offers a vision for Ukraine's survival on the future battlefield. At one end is a recruitment office, where lines of 20-somethings are receiving their first orders. At another sit trenches, obstacle courses, and the 3rd Assault brigade's 'Kill House", a training ground for military robots. This is where the elite brigade is stress-testing the unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) Ukraine hopes will soon begin to carry the burden of war in place of men. UGVs are already rolling around the front lines, with the 3rd Assault Brigade among the pioneers. They have not yet appeared in large numbers, though that moment may be near. In spring Ukraine announced plans to deploy 15,000 ground robots. Some key players predict that the face of the battlefield will rapidly change this summer, likening the proliferation of UGVs to the explosion in aerial-drone manufacturing in 2023. 'We don't have the men to counteract Russia's meat-wave," says one manufacturer. 'So we'll send our own zombies against theirs." There are currently about 40 mostly private Ukrainian firms producing some 200 UGV models. They fall into three tribes: logistics (petrol, water, evacuation); engineering support (mine-laying, mine-sweeping, communications); and, to a lesser extent, combat-support roles (platforms with grenade launchers, drone-hunting turrets). Most UGVs are beefed up before being deployed to front-line roles, with brigades typically adding cameras, extra comms or electronic-warfare protection. The war's widening 'grey zone"—10km of ground either side of the contact line, watched and punished by drones—is spurring demand for the most robust robots that let men stay underground. 'Stark", who runs the Kill House's 'UGV Academy"—a university for ground robots—says machines are already substituting for squads of soldiers in particular scenarios. Mule drones can transport tonnes of materiel to the lines. New evacuation drones like the Ardal can spare stretcher teams from becoming sitting ducks under drone-heavy skies. The latest mine-layers can lay dozens of anti-tank mines in a single run, a task that once required sappers to be sent out, over and over again. The Hyzhak ('Predator") uses artificial intelligence to identify and shoot drones out of the sky from 200 metres away. Its brother, the Liut ('Fury" ), a 7.62mm machine-gun platform, first bared its teeth in an ambush operation during Ukraine's incursion into Kursk last August. Vasyl, the founder of UGV Robotics, which produces the Liut, says the Russians were so surprised by the novelty that they immediately gave their positions away, letting other Ukrainian units target them. In the early days the UGV operators needed to be close to their prototypes to stay in range, often no more than a kilometre away. 'Shadow" and 'Shura", members of another brigade using UGVs, the 92nd, recall a time when they had to accompany their vehicle by foot to the front, a task that would be suicidal today because of Russian drones. Today, they can connect to them via Starlink from swivel chairs in command posts far from the front-line positions in the Kharkiv region. 'We can control the vehicle with the full situation mapped out on screens in front of us," says Shadow. 'One of us can be piloting, the other drinking Coca-cola or on a smoke break." But the operators do not foresee an era of robot-on-robot warfare just yet. Ground robots are some way from replacing infantry, they say. 'I think they will obviously support logistics, to help here and there, yes," says Shura. 'But never to replace infantry." The most immediate brake on mass deployment is communications. Starlink fails in difficult terrain or beneath trees. Mesh networks, where drones connect to each other to give data multiple paths to travel, can collapse if crucial nodes are lost. Viktor, an engineer of the Burevii design-and-production bureau, which makes UGVs used for logistics and kamikaze attacks, says the current technology probably needs an AI or machine-vision upgrade before mass use in active combat becomes realistic. That could be a year away. Another factor limiting a UGV revolution will be the availability of skilled operators, he says. 'We have very few who have completed enough missions and are still alive." Ukraine is winning in the UGV race at the moment—largely because it has to. The Kremlin, whose army is increasing by 8,000-9,000 men per month, probably does not feel anything like the same imperative. Equally, there is nothing to say that Russian UGV drone development will not go the same way as the first-person-view drone market before it. That is to say, Ukraine's innovation ecosystem opens up the technology, before Russia's industrial system copies, standardises and scales up on the best of it. But even though Ukraine's UGV developers acknowledge that the best of their creations will eventually be copied, they say even a modest shift can have real meaning. 'It will be a success if we replace 1% of our manpower needs on the front," says Vasyl. 'And I think right now we can do quite a bit better than 1%." © 2025, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on
