The Ministry of Defense has shown the Droid TW ground robotic complex, which provides fire support to units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Its main difference from many other platforms is that the complex was immediately designed and created to perform reconnaissance and strike missions.
In addition, the Droid TW systems integrate artificial intelligence to recognize enemy manpower. It allows for increased effectiveness of fire support and surveillance through remote control and autonomy in difficult combat conditions.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the development of the Droid TW began several years ago. The first field tests took place in 2023, and in December 2024 the platform was codified for delivery to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"The first Droid TW models were created on the basis of a 12.7 mm Browning machine gun. Today, the model line has been expanded with a 7.62 mm machine gun. Depending on the modification, the ammunition can consist of 480 or 1,000 rounds, which hit enemy manpower or equipment at a distance of up to 1 km," the Ministry of Defense noted.
The robotic platform can be used both day and night. It is equipped with a thermal imager with the ability to select different display modes on the operator's monitor. The target detection range during the day is up to 1.5 km, at night - up to 1 km.
"Additional equipment allows for detection, recognition, and tracking of targets in autonomous mode. The complex also has a ballistic calculation system to increase the accuracy of fire. Its equipment supports military communication systems, as well as Starlink and LTE technologies," the department explained.
The platform can be transported in the back of a pickup truck or on a trailer. Deployment to combat readiness takes literally 5 minutes. After that, thanks to remote control via a tablet or gamepad, the Droid TW is ready to destroy the enemy.
Recall that one of the key differences between ground-based drones and aerial drones is that they carry a much larger payload – we are talking about hundreds of kilograms.
Despite the advantages of robotic platforms, Ukraine is not currently using them on a large scale against the Russians. Among the main reasons is that most of the robots are still technologically raw, and the army has not yet learned to use them effectively.