Ukraine Destroys Two Russian Armed UGVs

Footage of the destruction of two armed UGVs fielded by Russia by Ukrainian forces has been shared on social media. The two UGVs were armed with one AGS-30 automatic grenade launcher, each controlled by what appears to be a remote-controlled weapon station. However, the vehicles appear to be crudely made as an improvisation. Other countries with ongoing armed UGV projects have developed prototypes with different weapons, such as machine guns and missiles, but none have been deployed in an active combat zone. The first deployments of UGVs in the war consisted of mine laying, mine clearing, and MEDEVAC missions. Due to the lack of a crew, UGVs can perform missions, risking human lives. This occurrence sheds some light on what might come next: short-range fire support. Despite the apparent crudeness of the UGVs, both sides will likely improve on the concept over time, as has been the case with the use of UAVs and USVs throughout the war. Armed UGVs with protection against small arms fire can threaten the infantry with their resistance. However, some obstacles remain in the effective use of UGVs in combat. First is communication, as these unmanned platforms have a very short remote-control range of a few kilometres. Another issue comes from the reloading of onboard weapons. If there is no automated reloading mechanism, the operators must reload when the ammunition is spent. Implementation of said mechanism would be another issue stemming from the sensitivity of such mechanisms.