UGV Varkhan: Ukraine sends unmanned pack mule to the front

Weapons, ammunition, equipment and supplies are to reach the front driverless in future: the UGV Varkhan (unmanned ground vehicle) has received official approval from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. The platform offers all-wheel drive, a payload of several hundred kilograms and an off-road range of up to 37 kilometres.

Behind the development is a Ukrainian defence company that implemented specific requirements from the troops. The requirement: a vehicle for logistics tasks under difficult operating conditions – as versatile, robust and easy to maintain as possible.

Technically, Varkhan is based on a 4×4 chassis with individual wheel drive and dependent suspension; ground clearance is more than 200 millimetres. The platform is thus meant to cope with mud, sand and heavy terrain. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence puts the off-road range at up to 37 kilometres – with payload.

Swappable batteries and simple maintenance for the UGV Varkhan

In trials, the vehicle moved several hundred kilograms of cargo over distances of several dozen kilometres. Swappable batteries are intended to enable longer missions with less downtime.

Robustness and ease of operation were the developers' priorities: spare and wear parts are to remain readily available, and maintenance should require little effort. Several systems for control and communications are on board.

Varkhan is also a building block of a broader ecosystem for unmanned ground vehicles that includes T-Bone ground stations, antennas, masts, repeaters and other components. Combined, they are to provide integrated solutions for controlling unmanned systems and stable communications links.

Following official codification, Varkhan may now supply the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Ukraine's portfolio of unmanned ground vehicles thus continues to grow – most recently, the Ministry of Defence approved the reconnaissance and combat UGV Zmiy Mini Strike.