Military prepares Gnom ground drone with grenade launchers and machine gun for frontline

Soldiers of the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade "Veliky Lug" are preparing the "Gnom" ground drone for deployment to the front line. It is currently undergoing testing, Army TV reports.

"The manufacturers handed this drone over to us for testing so that we could run it in. How it works in combat, how the recoil system behaves, how the shot compensation system behaves," explains Serhiy, head of the communications department .

The tests have been going on for two months - before that, the fighters asked the developers to replace the wheels, and also independently improved the mounting system for weapons and antennas.

"His task is to either go out and stop some kind of assault, or to shoot at some dugouts, shelters," says the company commander's TVO Mykhailo.

The Gnom ground drone is armed with two anti-tank grenade launchers and a heavy machine gun. The latter, according to the military, shoots very accurately. As for RPG shots, the drone does not move during them - it simply stands still. The corresponding tests were carried out from a distance of 400 m.

The military also adds that so far the tests were conducted in "manual mode" - that is, they saw where they were shooting and could make adjustments. There will be no such function in a combat position.

"I think that the drone needs to be additionally equipped with the Starlink system , which will allow for high-quality, stable communication so that the operator does not lose contact with the remote control at the first meter from his shelter," notes the head of the communications department.

He also adds that these drones do not replace infantrymen, but they make the work of fighters on the front lines much easier.

It was recently reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine used the "Queen Hornet" drone with a grenade launcher in combat for the first time. The corresponding video was released by "Wild Hornets".