Unex ground drone: Ukraine approves amphibious all-terrain vehicle for its armed forces

More than 70 ground robotic platforms from 50 Ukrainian manufacturers took part in a coordinated field trial in early April, organised by Brave1, Ukraine's defence technology cluster. It was the largest test of unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) in the entire country. Among the participants was a new ground drone: the Unex UGV.

Under extreme conditions, the vehicles had to cover a 10-kilometre course whose route nobody knew in advance. In addition, electronic warfare measures using changing jamming frequencies were applied. According to Brave1, the results were better than expected: most vehicles got through successfully, proving that they can carry heavy payloads even over long distances.

Ground drone for water, swamp and ice

The Unex UGV apparently passed this trial as well. On 17 April, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence approved it for use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The self-driving platform is built on a special chassis that gives it exceptional mobility even in the most difficult conditions. It handles water, swamps, mud, bog, sand and snow without problems, as well as difficult surfaces such as scree and even ice.

This is made possible by a low centre of gravity between the axles and extreme low-pressure tyres 71 inches (1.8 metres) high.

The UNEX UGV is said to be resistant to electronic warfare systems. On board are a reliable radio control system, a programmable autopilot and powerful batteries. The vehicle can be built in several variants: with a combat module, with an electronic warfare system, and in versions for logistics, evacuation and mine clearance.

An on-board system can fully inflate the tyres within 60 seconds. Two electric motors of 32.7 kW each are powered by batteries with a capacity of 78 kWh and a weight of 340 kilograms. Their operating time is five hours, and a full charge takes around six hours. The vehicle's top speed is 20 km/h.

Models from all-terrain vehicle design

The Unex UGV is largely derived from other all-terrain vehicles – above all Rheinmetall's Mission Master XT UGV (video). It weighs 2,217 kilograms, carries a payload of up to 1,000 kilograms and covers up to 750 kilometres on one tank of fuel. Lithium batteries also enable silent surveillance missions of up to six hours.

Crewed but similarly designed vehicles include the Sherp Pro XT (video) and the Argo Centaur XT (video), as well as the Ator N1200 Kapidhwaja (video), which is in service with the Indian Army.

The underlying design goes back to Russian vehicle developer Alexei Garagashyan (video). Vladimir Shkolnik, one of Ukraine's richest people, bought one of these ATVs together with the rights to it. Sherp LLC was established in Russia in 2014. After the Russian invasion, Ukraine ended the cooperation and withdrew the licences.

The vehicles mentioned reach around 40 km/h on the road and around 4 km/h in water. They can climb 70 per cent gradients and handle side slopes of up to 30 per cent. Power comes from a high-torque diesel generator engine, for example a Doosan D18.

More ground robots made in Ukraine

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, almost 80 domestically produced ground robotic systems have been codified and approved for the armed forces since the start of the Russian attack. They are used for attack and defence, reconnaissance, demining and mine clearance, surveillance, logistics and evacuations.