Combat first for ground robotics: Ukrainian Droid TW 12.7 destroys an armoured vehicle

Fighters of the 5th Separate Assault Brigade destroyed a Russian MT-LB together with its crew using the Droid TW 12.7 ground reconnaissance and strike system developed by the Ukrainian company DevDroid. According to the company, this is the first documented case of a UGV destroying enemy armoured vehicles in real combat.

Details of the operation were shared with DevDroid’s press service by the commander of the UGV company of the 5th Separate Assault Brigade, call sign “Agronom”. “The Droid TW 12.7 performed very well. The operators were able to deliver accurate fire and maintain full situational control while remaining far away in a safe location,” says Agronom. “This is cold, precise technology in the hands of trained warriors – this is what the future of technological warfare looks like.”

DevDroid also published footage of the engagement on its YouTube channel. The video shows the UGV firing at an enemy MT-LB, although the extent of damage inflicted on the vehicle and its crew is difficult to assess.

The Droid TW 12.7 UGV was developed by a team of Ukrainian engineers at DevDroid as an integrated solution for reconnaissance and fire missions on the battlefield. The developers say that the combination of remote control, an integrated ballistic computer, and artificial intelligence algorithms allows the platform to accurately detect, lock onto, and engage targets while reducing risks to personnel.

According to the company, the Droid TW 12.7 is designed to carry out a wide range of combat tasks on the front line. A remotely operated turret with a 12.7 mm M2 Browning heavy machine gun enables the system to engage lightly armoured targets such as IFVs, APCs, armoured vehicles, other transport, and enemy manpower. The UGV can be used to suppress platoon-level and fortified positions, as well as enemy firing points.

A separate area of use for the system is remote battlefield surveillance. Using built-in cameras and data transmission systems, operators receive real-time situational awareness while maintaining a safe distance from the combat zone.

Key technical specifications of the Droid TW 12.7:

Type and calibre of weapon: M2 Browning heavy machine gun, 12.7 mm
Maximum speed: 7 km/h
Maximum engagement range: up to 1 km
Operational range: 25 km
Targeting system: manual control and AI-based auto-targeting
Communications systems: Starlink and LTE (standard configuration), Mesh (on request)