The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has approved for use a new ground robot equipped with a machine gun, Ukrinform reported, BTA reported. The department announced the news on its website yesterday.
The Ukrainian-made Di-21-12Ar (D-21-12R) robotic complex is equipped with a large-caliber machine gun. It is designed for a variety of operational tasks, including surveillance, patrolling, fire support of units and neutralization of enemy personnel and lightly armored vehicles.
The robot operator can control it from a protected place at a considerable distance. The Di-21-12R demonstrates exceptional maneuverability, making it effective for operations in rugged terrain, swamps and shallow water bodies, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.
It was previously reported that the "Amaga-10" kamikaze drone has also been authorized for use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ukrinform notes.
The war in Ukraine - the first major conventional armed conflict in Europe in nearly eight decades - highlighted the important importance of autonomous weapons systems and, in particular, various types of drones - unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned boats and ground robots.