At this moment in the continued conflict of Ukraine, drones have been proven to be key assets on the current battlefield. Combined, they are reshaping logistics and evacuation operations in unprecedented ways. The Third Army Corps academy, called the KillHouse, is now a key center for the creation of Ukraine’s fledgling drone industry. The war has catapulted the demand for innovative solutions. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and Ground Robotic Complexes (GRCs) are fundamentally changing the future of warfare and enhancing combat efficiency.
Ukraine’s drone industry is rapidly evolving to meet the unique requirements of different military units while balancing cost and quality. From the vendor standpoint, drones have increasingly become consumable goods. Unit price is $5,000 to over $20,000 per unit. The demand for affordability without compromising capability has grown urgent as the war rolls on.
Advances in Drone Technology
Drones have been key to pushing the kill zone much farther away for Ukrainian forces. One National Guard brigade has said that their commercial drones have increased their strike reach to 50 miles or more. This newly expanded range is increasingly important on today’s battlefield. Engaging your enemy from a safe stand-off distance not only saves lives, but it can turn the tide of battle.
The drone technology landscape is changing fast. Foreign military delegations and Western developers are rushing to Ukraine to see its innovations firsthand. That wave of interest, though, underscores what’s at stake globally in Ukraine’s ongoing war for drone dominance. This is important because Ukraine is facing swift gains from the Russian offensive. This race in aerial capabilities has forced Ukraine’s military to race to find the best solutions and improvements.
“A drone is a consumable good, so you need a balance between price and quality,” – Stark
Over the past year, GRCs have driven a staggering 70,000 kilometers on Ukraine’s battlefront, conducting evacuations for hundreds of wounded soldiers. These land drones have a big role to play in logistics. Yet, they not only perform search and rescue, evacuating wounded comrades from immense danger, demonstrating their versatility in a funky-fresh fashion on the battlefield.
The Role of Ground Robotic Complexes
Ground Robotic Complexes are becoming more critical for logistics activities in theaters of war. Autonomous or quasi-autonomous, these drones take on missions directed by unit commanders, carrying in supplies and augmenting troop missions. Their unique ability to conduct operations in hostile environments with less risk to human life translates into one of their greatest strengths.
Stark, an educator at the military Third Army Corps mobilization center’s school, pointed out a notable transformation in logistics. Today, nearly 90% of his brigade’s logistics missions are powered by land drones. This change greatly increases the efficiency. It reduces the risks to human evacuators, who become increasingly at risk in dangerous contexts when conducting evacuations.
“A GRC is a kind of an Uber on the battlefield. Unit commanders order what they need to transport and what they need some help with, and GRC units carry out these tasks,” – Stark
This change in logistics is especially notable when these missions are evacuation missions. Soldiers such as Maksym have seen, sometimes at great personal cost, how these drones can save lives. After being shot on the frontlines in no man’s land, he recounted his traumatic journey awaiting rescue.
“I thought I wouldn’t make it. I thought that a (drone) would hit us, or we would blow up and get stuck somewhere, and I would stay there,” – Maksym
Barriers still exist—even with all the great GRC capabilities developed over the years. Enemy drones are one of the most dangerous threats today, frequently seeking out GRCs as prime targets. This introduces a potentially existential level of risk to their operations. Though GRCs don’t draw attention in the same way armored vehicles do, Stark described how their presence still draws enemy fire. They need to effectively navigate an ever changing battlefield environment.
Challenges and Risks on the Battlefield
The world these drones are projected to fly in is equally as dangerous. Service members are put in grave danger during rescue operations, frequently conducting their missions while exposed to enemy fire. Hennadiy, another soldier, recalled being hit himself in a black ice slip-and-fall scenario that put him in active transport.
“There was a moment when, due to the bumpy road and the lack of a suspension on the vehicle, my injured left foot fell off and started dragging on the ground,” – Hennadiy
His story serves as a canary for the dangerous operations agenda we are embarking on, where human life and rapidly advancing technology find themselves in high stakes environments. Now, more than ever, soldiers need to trust their training and the capabilities of drones to make missions successful.
With drones playing a larger role in US military strategy, their first use in combat would set a dangerous new course in warfare. Ukraine’s recent experience is an important example of how tech can greatly enhance logistical capacity. It sheds light on profound advances in field rescue operations as well. The unrelenting weight of enemy progress requires surging iterative improvement on drone technology.
“They are a priority target and are constantly hunted. But the advantage of a drone is that it is smaller than armored vehicles, less noticeable, less noisy, and therefore easier to hide,” – Stark
