Brave1, the Ukrainian defense technology cluster, conducted the country’s largest test of unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) in early April. More than 70 ground-based robotic platforms from 50 Ukrainian manufacturers were tested in a coordinated field trial – including the new Unex UGV.
The test involved covering a 10-kilometer route under extreme conditions, including electronic warfare measures with variable interference frequencies and a previously unknown route. According to Brave1, the results exceeded expectations. Most of the participating vehicles successfully completed the route and confirmed their ability to transport heavy payloads over long distances.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPHzUiGqxrA
Unex UGV
One vehicle that has apparently successfully passed this test is the Unex UGV, which was approved for use by the Ukrainian armed forces by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on April 17.
The self-propelled platform is built on a special chassis that offers exceptional mobility in the most difficult conditions. The platform moves easily over water, swamps, marshland, bogs, sand, snow, difficult surfaces such as scree and even ice.
The basis for this agility are 71-inch high (1.8 meter) extremely low-pressure tires and a low center of gravity between the axles.
The UNEX UGV is designed to be resistant to electronic warfare systems, has a reliable radio control system, a programmable autopilot and powerful batteries. It can be manufactured in several modifications – with a combat module, an electronic warfare system and for logistics, evacuation and mine clearance tasks.
The vehicle has a system that can fully inflate the tires within 60 seconds. Batteries with a capacity of 78 kWh and a weight of 340 kilograms drive two electric motors with an output of 32.7 kW each. The batteries have a service life of five hours. It takes around six hours to fully charge the batteries. The maximum speed is 20 km/h.
Special vehicles for extreme terrain
The Unex UGV is strongly derived from other all-terrain vehicles. Particularly noteworthy here is the Rheinmetall Mission Master XT UGV (video). It weighs 2,217 kilograms, can transport payloads of up to 1,000 kilograms, can travel up to 750 kilometers on a single tank of fuel and can carry out silent surveillance missions for up to six hours with lithium batteries.
Similar in design, but manned, are vehicles such as the Sherp Pro XT (video), the Argo Centaur XT (video) and the Ator N1200 Kapidhwaja (video), which is in service with the Indian army.
The underlying design comes from the Russian vehicle developer Alexei Garagashyan (video). Vladimir Shkolnik, one of the richest Ukrainians, acquired one of these ATVs and the rights to it. Sherp LLC was founded in Russia in 2014. After the Russian invasion (-> current news from the war in Ukraine), Ukraine terminated the cooperation and revoked the licenses.
These vehicles can reach speeds of around 40 km/h on the road and around 4 km/h in the water. They have a climbing ability of 70 percent and can be driven on a side slope of up to 30 percent. They are powered by a generator diesel engine with high torque (e.g. Doosan D18).
Ukraine increases production of ground robots
Since the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has reportedly codified almost 80 Ukrainian-made ground-based robotic systems and approved them for use in the armed forces. These systems carry out offensive and defensive operations, reconnaissance, demining and mine clearance, surveillance, logistical tasks and evacuations.
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