3rd Assault Brigade via Telegram/Screenshot by Business Insider
- A newly announced Ukrainian unit in the 3rd Assault Brigade aims to fight Russia with ground drones.
- Called NC13, it showed off several UGVs mounted with machine guns and a grenade launcher.
- It’s a further sign of how combat UGVs are becoming mainstream in Ukraine’s war.
A Ukrainian army corps has officially founded a company that focuses on fighting with combat uncrewed ground vehicles, further codifying Ukraine’s growing use of such drones in the war.
The 3rd Army Corps announced on its social media channels on Wednesday that it had launched NC13, which it called a “separate unit for eliminating the enemy with ground robots.”
The new unit is part of the corps’ 3rd Assault Brigade, which has recently been fighting in the Kharkiv region.
A video in the announcement showed demonstrations of several uncrewed ground vehicles, or UGVs, mounted with small arms. One appears to be a tracked system with a heavy machine gun that resembles the 12.7 mm NSV Utyos.
Another two are four-wheeled systems. The first appears to be fitted with a 7.62 mm PKT or similar machine gun that can elevate its barrel, while the second looks like it features an AGS-30 grenade launcher.
A small four-wheel drone was also filmed dropping off anti-tank mines.
The 3rd Assault Brigade has already reported deploying UGVs in missions for several months, including for assaults, mine-laying, and evacuating the wounded.
In July, the brigade became known as the first Ukrainian force to compel Russian infantry to surrender to a UGV. As part of its wider drone school program, Killhouse, the brigade also runs courses for piloting UGVs.
NC13’s creation now means the brigade is committing further to combat UGVs.
“Robots evacuate, deliver ammunition, and now we’re bringing them onto the battlefield,” the corps’ statement said.
It’s rare to see a Ukrainian company focusing primarily on UGV assaults. Another Ukrainian formation, the 20th Separate K-2 Unmanned Systems Regiment, formed its own UGV battalion in August, but its announcement said that the unit would also run evacuation missions.
Other Ukrainian units often have UGVs dispersed in their operations, using them to transport munitions or clear mines. Ground drones are particularly useful for assaults because they can carry heavier explosive payloads than many of the uncrewed aerial systems flooding Ukraine’s battlefield.
Kyiv has been fast-tracking UGV adoption in its military over the last year, with its defense ministry touting them as “iron soldiers” that allow Ukraine to hold and attack positions without endangering its strained supply of human troops.
In its statement on Wednesday, the 3rd Army Corps used NC13’s debut to call for recruits.
“This is the new reality of war, where we set the rules,” it wrote. “Robots fight, and you are the one in command.”