The news is dominated by the day to day combat in Ukraine and the heart wrenching stories of the Ukrainian people. In the news coverage, many scenes are reminiscent of news reels from World War II: bombed buildings, phalanxes of tanks, artillery battles, munitions lighting up the night sky, and helmeted soldiers stalking the enemy. But this is not your grandfather’s war, and military support does not mean what it did in the 1940s.
Modern armies rely on a type of equipment not evident from images on the nightly news: robotics. Whether in the form of ground vehicles or aerial drones, such systems can save lives and advance military operations by providing surveillance, assisting in rescue operations, moving supplies, and undertaking combat functions in situations that would be deadly for human beings. (These are 13 of the world’s top military drones.)
Military robots can be semi-autonomous or remote controlled, drones being the most well-known and heavily used in the fight for Ukraine. More controversial are autonomous robots, sometimes referred to as killer robots, that depend on artificial intelligence to take action on their own. Last year, international efforts to curb their use through the U.N.’s Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons was thwarted by both the United States and Russia.
Russia has been accused of using drones in Ukraine that are essentially missiles capable of identifying and destroying targets on their own, possibly using face recognition software. The United States may also be sending killer drones to Ukraine, according to congressional sources. History will reveal how much of a role robots are playing in Ukraine, but it is clear that military combat has been changed dramatically by robotics and technology in general. This is the country with the most military satellites.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed a myriad of sources, including from Digital Trends, Just Total Tech, and Analytics Insight, to find 20 military robots in the world today. We aimed to select known, deployed (or being tested by the military) ground robots, mainly uncrewed ground vehicles. The list is by no means exhaustive and does not include robots such as General Dynamics’ Atlas that are still in development. We tried to include different kinds of UGVs, from combat UGVs to those employed for explosive-ordnance disposal, patrol, or supply robots.
Click here to see 20 military robots used by the world’s superpowers
Dragon Runner
> Nation: USA
> Type: Reconnaissance, IED disarmament SUGV
> Notable features: Rugged, ultra-compact, lightweight and portable reconnaissance robot (remote operated) developed for urban operation
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PackBot
> Nation: USA
> Type: Reconnaissance and explosive-ordnance disposal UGV
> Notable features Used in Iraq and Afghanistan to detect and defuse IEDs
Centaur
> Nation: USA
> Type: Explosive-ordnance disposal UGV
> Notable features Operated remotely, the Centaur can detect, confirm, identify, and dispose hazards including landmines, unexploded ordnance, and improvised explosive devices
SGR-A1
> Nation: South Korea
> Type: Sentry gun / security guard robot
> Notable features Reportedly used in the Korean demilitarized zone, can possibly operate autonomously
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THeMIS (Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System)
> Nation: Estonia, Netherlands
> Type: Human in the loop architecture combat UGV
> Notable features Capable of firing conventional machine gun or missile rounds, deployed in anti-insurgency mission Operation Barkhane in Mali
Guardium / Avantguard
> Nation: Israel
> Type: Autonomous and remote operated observation and target intercept UGV
> Notable features While the guardium is equipped for surveillance, it also contains lethal weapons. The AvantGuard variant is an unmanned ground combat vehicle.
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DOGO
> Nation: Israel
> Type: Remote operated tactical combat robot
> Notable features The DOGO is armed with a 9 mm Glock pistol. It is used by special forces and SWAT as a means of surveillance and is sent first into dangerous situations
Jaguar
> Nation: Israel
> Type: Semi-autonomous guard, patrol UGV
> Notable features The 6-wheeled semi-autonomous UGV is equipped with a 7.62 mm MAG machine gun and has the ability to self-destruct if it falls into enemy hands.
MUTT
> Nation: USA
> Type: Multi-Utility Tactical Transport
> Notable features This semi-autonomous robotic platform is designed to reduce the physical burden placed on dismounted soldiers. Selected by the US army for its Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport program
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TRX
> Nation: USA
> Type: TRX robotic ground vehicle
> Notable features An autonomous resupply vehicle using standard military cargo containers, but it can also be configured for semi-autonomous or remote operated surveillance and attack missions
Alrobot or Al Robot
> Nation: Iraq
> Type: Remote-controlled robot tank
> Notable features The Iraqi army used its remote-controlled battle robot to fight ISIS.
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AnBot
> Nation: China
> Type: Police robot
> Notable features According to People’s Daily, “AnBot is able to patrol autonomously and protect against violence or unrest.”
24/7 Wall St.
Sharp Claw
> Nation: China
> Type: Semi-autonomous to autonomous electric combat UGV
> Notable features Capable of battlefield reconnaissance, autonomous patrolling, assault and transport missions in dangerous, dirty, monotonous, and dull combat environment.
Uran-9
> Nation: Russia
> Type: Tracked combat UGV with some autonomous capabilities
> Notable features First used in Syrian Civil War. It is fitted with a remotely operated turret for mounting different light and medium-caliber weapons and missiles. A Unified Tactical Management system allows up to four Uran-9s to network together.
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Soratnik
> Nation: Russia
> Type: Combat UGV – can operate with other automated combat units
> Notable features The armored tracked vehicle is designed for guarding, patrolling, and reconnaissance. It can be mounted with a remote controlled weapon station with four types of weapons — different machine guns and grenade launchers.
MARCbot
> Nation: USA
> Type: Multi-function Agile Remote-Controlled Robot — demolition vehicle
> Notable features The small, low-cost robot was used in Iraq and Afghanistan to detect IEDs and other dangers.
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Ripsaw M5
> Nation: USA
> Type: Tracked armed UGV
> Notable features The M5 can be fitted with a medium caliber cannon, CROWS-Javelin, anti-aircraft
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SAFFiR – Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot
> Nation: USA
> Type: Two-legged, humanoid firefighting robot used to evaluate the use of such a system
> Notable features The knowledge gained from SAFFiR will be applied in two prototypes: NADIA (with IHMC in Florida) and DRACO (with University of Texas and Apptronik)
Guardbot – still tested
> Nation: USA
> Type: Spherical amphibious robotic vehicle systems
> Notable features This ball robot can be used for patrolling and surveillance and go in water and on land.
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MAARS – Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System
> Nation: USA
> Type: Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition UGV
> Notable features The weaponized robot is not yet deployed
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