Frontline Ukrainian soldiers in need of ammo, fuel, and food are now getting a steady supply without putting the lives of delivery drivers at risk, say operators of a new generation of fiber-optic drone.
This one isn't sleek and doesn't fly -- but it can deliver 100-150 kilograms of goods while being operated remotely. Until recently, live human supply drivers were often at risk from Russia's flying fiber-optic drones.
Now Ukrainian ground drones, which look like miniature, unarmed tanks, are taking over the supply runs.
"We're testing them, using them, and will continue to use them," said a Ukrainian soldier who uses the call sign "Dream."
"Their primary mission is logistics: food, ammo, and whatever the guys need to work properly," he said.
Fiber-optic ground drones are not vulnerable to electronic jamming, which is driving a huge increase in use in aerial drones, both by Russia and Ukraine.
The low-flying drones are tied to the ground via thin fiber-optic cables that unwind as they fly farther from the controller.
Their use is now so widespread that discarded cables can be seen strewn across trees and buildings over vast areas.
The technology has its limitations; lines can become tangled or catch on objects, while the unwinding mechanisms add weight and reduce the loads the flying drones can carry.
At least the latter is no problem for fiber-optic ground drones, say operators.
Dream called the robotic ground rovers "the last hope for changing the course of the war on the side of Ukraine."
A Ukrainian company of unmanned ground systems, called Alter Ego 93rd Brigade In the Kramatorsk region near the front, is often targeted by Russians hoping to disrupt supply lines.
So ground drones have filled a need for ammunition deliveries by robotic wheeled vehicles with tank-like tracks for handling varied terrain.
"So, we use drones to avoid the drones," said Dream.
The fiber-optic delivery system has arrived just in time, said its operators.
"It's getting warm and even hot," said a Ukrainian soldier using the call sign "Bordeaux."
"We need more water at the front line. People can't carry as much as a ground drone.
If the robotic vehicles come under Russian fire -- or even if they are attacked by dogs, as happened once -- they're easier to replace than lost human beings.
"That's the advantage of ground drones," said Bordeaux. "People are not directly involved, so it's the iron taking hits, not people."
Russia was ahead of Ukraine in deploying fiber-optic first-person-view (FPV) drones on the battlefield, primarily in the Kursk region of Russia, but Ukrainians are catching up fast.
Now Chinese manufacturers have reported the number of orders from Russia is growing every month.
Meanwhile, fiber-optic cable factories within Russian have become favorite Ukrainian targets.
