ABU DHABI – The Ukrainian military is nearing completion of an armed unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and has the robot on display at the International Defense Exposition here.
United States Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley is fond of describing a future battlefield in which robots play key roles in cargo transportation, reconnaissance and other missions. Currently embroiled in a conflict with Russian capabilities that the U.S. is closely monitoring, the Ukrainian ground robot could fulfill some of those requirements.
Called the “Fantom,” the UGV prototype was developed by Spets Techno Export (STE) in partnership with Ukrainian government-owned Ukroboronprom. It is a six wheeled vehicle capable of carrying 400 kg.
Distinct from similar U.S. UGV concepts is the Fantom’s armament. It is designed to carry four anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) and also comes with a 12.7 mm machine gun. The vehicle mounts the Baryer ATGM, also made in Ukraine.
The updated version of the unmanned vehicle is the demonstration of only one of many variations of the “Fantom” completion, according to Pavlo Barbul, STE director. “The purpose of this project is development of equipment that can effectively perform different combat missions while minimizing risks to the military personnel’s lives,” he said.
The Fantom is being marketed at the expo for an array of missions, including recon, casualty evacuation and combat resupply. The Ukrainian military has done some field testing of the system with its special forces, according to the company. That country’s defense ministry is scheduled to wrap up testing this spring.
The U.S. military has tested wheeled and tracked robots to increase the carrying capacity of dismounted units in distributed and amphibious operations but has yet to commit to a program of record. So far the Army has not expressed a desire to arm ground robots. Though that course is likely, the U.S. has self-imposed limits to the degree to which lethal robotics can operate autonomously. The Fantom, as the U.S. Army would likely require, must have a human operator pull the trigger.
Dismounted troops operate the UGV through a radio control but it can also be programmed to follow waypoints. Like some similar U.S. prototypes developed by both the Army and Marine Corps the robot also can follow a designated operator who carries a small device that interfaces with the UGV.