- Ukraine unveiled a new ground drone meant to attack Russian tanks.
- The drone, called Ratel S, is designed to move quietly and tackle harsh terrain.
Ukraine unveiled a new exploding ground drone designed to carry bombs and anti-tank mines into battle against Russia.
The unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), named Ratel S or Honey Badger, can carry up to 77 pounds at a maximum speed of 15 miles per hour, its developer Brave1 told Insider.
"The main idea is that the robot is used as a mobile warhead that carries anti-tank mines or other explosive devices," said Brave1 spokesperson Viktoriia Kovalchuk.
The drone can run for 40–50 minutes at an average speed or for up to two hours at a slower speed, she said.
Images of the machine were shared on X on Tuesday by the Ukrainian minister Mykhailo Fedorov, whose remit includes innovation and digital transformation.
The photos showed a four-wheel drone strapped with dummy 82 mm mortar rounds:
Another was mounted with a signal repeater and a yellow TM-62 anti-tank mine:
Fedorov said the drone can "blow up" Russia's tanks and equipment from a safe location. In a separate post on Telegram, he said the drone has a range of around 3.7 miles.
The drone, mounted with a repeater and a remote detonation system, is controlled via a first-person-view system by an operator who wears goggles.
A video of the drone also shared by Fedorov shows an operator using a Playstation-like remote to drive the vehicle at full speed and hit a white van in an undisclosed location:
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) October 24, 2023
The Ratel drone was developed as part of a project called Brave1, which Fedorov oversees.
It follows input from Ukraine's 120th Reconnaissance Battalion, which wanted a drone capable of remotely delivering a large warhead, and which could resist Russia's electromagnetic interference, per the Kyiv Post.
The development team leader, Taras Ostapchuk, told the newspaper that the drone can quietly approach Russian positions, overcome obstacles up to 8–10 inches high, and operate effectively on sandy terrain.
A video shared by the state-affiliated Ukrainian news outlet Militarnyi showed it crossing muddy, though flat, ground:
"Our Honey Badger can traverse any terrain that a jeep can," Ostapchuk claimed to the newspaper.
The Ratel drone passed its field tests and has been put into mass production, Fedorov said in a Telegram post.
Brave1 had already shared images of experimental land drones in August but declined to share any information about them, citing security reasons, Insider previously reported.
Nataly Kushnerska, project lead at Brave1, told Insider at the time that the "only way" for Ukraine to win would ultimately be through new technologies.