Unmanned ground vehicles for conscripts: Denmark receives nine Dropla 4×4

The Danish Ministry of Defence’s procurement agency (FMI) has acquired nine new unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). They will be used, among other places, at the Danish Armed Forces’ Drone Centre (FDC) – for training conscripts of the Danish Armed Forces.

The nine UGVs were supplied by the Danish company Dropla, which maintains close ties with Ukraine. The units, designated “Dropla 4×4”, have since arrived at the Danish Armed Forces’ Drone Centre; among other things, they serve to train conscripts for drone operations.

FMI has been testing unmanned ground vehicles and gathering experience with them for some time – the acquisition is part of these ongoing efforts. The agency had already bought eight UGVs for the army at the start of the year; their tests in various operational scenarios proceeded with great success over the course of the year.

We are seeing rapid development in unmanned systems. It is therefore important that we gain experience with this technology and incorporate it into soldier training already now. The new unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) give the Drone Centre the opportunity to work with drones in operation while at the same time examining how the technology can be used in the armed forces in future— Colonel Thomas Øgendahl Knudsen, Commander of the Land Division at FMI

Unmanned ground vehicles with Ukrainian experience

Dropla was founded by Ukrainians. The Danish company is headquartered in Denmark but is equally present in Ukraine through activities and cooperation projects.

Based on experience from Ukraine and the tests of further UGVs in Denmark, FMI is already examining how the new systems can be fitted with various equipment – such as remote-controlled weapon deactivation or communications technology. The new UGVs thus give the Ministry of Defence practical experience with the technology and, at the same time, a basis for examining the future use of unmanned vehicles for a range of tasks.