I'm now skeptical about direct-fire unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). But logistics drones seem like they have real promise now.
I'm now skeptical about small direct-fire combat UGVs. This, on the other hand, sounds really promising:
Earlier this year, deep in an expansive training area, soldiers loaded an autonomous ground vehicle, entered a grid, and watched it depart on its own. No one stood behind it with a controller. No one drove it like a toy. It simply took a basic task that normally consumes soldiers’ time and attention and executed it autonomously. That was the moment the capability became real. For leaders who had heard about ground autonomy in briefings or seen it discussed in abstract terms, this was different. It was not just an interesting machine or another promising technology. It was a practical tool accomplishing a practical task in the field.
One stumbling block that may be a problem is conducting these missions on a dynamic, mobile battlefield for supporting combat units. But for supplying the many more combat support and sustainment units behind the lines (assuming air defenses can provide some protection in the wider No-Man's Land that drones created) they could be great.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
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NOTE: Photo from the quoted article.
