Ukraine's 3rd Army used drones to airdrop UGVs to fight deep into the Russian rear

Ukrainian 3rd Corps personnel operate an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). The Corps stated that Operation "Vevadi" has recovered 5 villages and 3 settlements in the disputed area of ​​​​Donetsk, and used unmanned systems to operate deep into the rear of the Russian army. (Picture taken from the Third Ukrainian Army)

[Compiled by Chen Chengliang/Comprehensive Report] The Ukrainian 3rd Army claimed that the secret offensive code-named "Operation Vivaldi" killed about 3,000 Russian troops in a few months and recaptured about 125 square kilometers of land. One of the special tactics is to use large drones to hang unmanned ground vehicles filled with explosives, fly across the front line and deep into the rear of Russian-controlled areas, and then airdrop the ground robots behind enemy lines to launch attacks.

Ukrainian soldiers test unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) at a training ground. The Telegraph reported that the 3rd Army Corps of the Ukrainian Army put UGVs into operation "Vevadi" and developed a combat method of airdropping ground robots from drones. (Photo taken from Ukrainian national news agency Ukrinform)

The British newspaper "The Telegraph" disclosed this combat method on the 26th. The report pointed out that large-scale carrier drones themselves are easily discovered by the Russian army, so the Ukrainian army must first use electronic warfare to interfere with Russian reconnaissance drones, then use drones and artillery to attack Russian infantry positions, forcing ground troops to hide in bunkers, and finally use the cover of night to complete the airdrop.

Please read on...

Darwin, commander of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 3rd Army Corps, said that unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are mostly used to transport ammunition, food, batteries and evacuate casualties, but some vehicles can also carry heavy machine guns or explosives and be directly used for attacks. The UGV used in this operation is called "Gryphon" by Ukrainian soldiers and can be controlled remotely by the operator.

Deep into the rear of the Russian army, the furthest reaches about 19 kilometers

Darwin pointed out that the Russian reconnaissance drones almost continuously monitor the front line, and up to about 100 of them can fly over its camps in a single day. Therefore, electronic warfare is an important part of the airdrop operation. The Ukrainian army first used electronic warfare to interfere with Russian drones, making them unable to control ground activities, and then cooperated with artillery and other drones to attack Russian positions, allowing large-scale carrying drones to cross the front line at night.

The Telegraph reported that these UGVs have penetrated as far as 19 kilometers behind the front line. The Russian army even could not believe that Ukrainian ground robots could reach the attack position from such a long distance. The Russian military communications intercepted by the Ukrainian army showed that the Russian commander once believed that instead of believing that he was attacked by Ukrainian army robots, it was better to believe that the Russian army's own people were driving to attack.

After the robots completed their attack, the Ukrainian infantry advanced and established a defensive line, and then artillery, aerial drones and more ground robots continued to attack the next position. Darwin said this approach reduces the need for soldiers to directly enter high-risk areas, but the entire operation still requires large delivery drones, skilled operators, and a command structure that can coordinate multiple weapons and unmanned systems.

The Ukrainian 3rd Army stated that this method of airdropping UGVs has begun to be taught to other brigade-level units, but to use this method requires sufficient large-scale carrier drones, well-trained operators, and a command structure that can coordinate multiple weapons and unmanned systems.