Ukraine’s military technology cluster, Brave1, has developed a kamikaze ground-based robot called Ratel S, which can strike from a safe distance against Russian aggression on Ukraine’s soil.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, has been met with fierce resistance, thanks to quick military innovation on the part of Ukraine. As previously reported by Interesting Engineering, Ukraine deployed cheap drones to fight Russian tanks early in the conflict.
In a more recent development, Ukraine has created a ground robot that can carry out Kamikaze-style attacks.
With the Ratel S, Ukrainian troops will be able to attack Russian tanks and anti-tank positions from a distance.
The robot resembles a child’s toy monster truck, but it’s designed to carry either an antiautonomous mine or an explosive payload on its back and can reach speeds of up to 15 miles per hour (24 kilometers per hour).
On the battlefield, the robot can operate for up to 2 hours on a full charge and can even play a waiting game if needed before destroying enemy equipment or assets. Operators can be anywhere within a 3.72 mile (6 km) range, keeping the robot safe and inflicting maximum damage at all times.
After passing all field tests, the Ratel S is now in production. The former Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine also posted a video showing the Ratel S. The addition of Ratel S to Ukraine’s weapons inventory is a testament to the country’s resilience during this conflict.
Last year, Ukraine was the first nation in the world to create a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to be used at sea. These innovations have helped Ukraine fight Russian aggression and lessen its reliance on Western powers for the weapons it needs to fight. This is also thanks to technology clusters like Brave1.
RELATED STORIES
https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/ukraine-deploy-kamikaze-robots-against-russia
https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-drones-kamikaze-combat-robots-russia-1822974
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66621724
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/20181
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