Andrii Denysenko, CEO of design and production bureau "UkrPrototyp", stands by Odyssey, an 800-kilogram (1,750-pound) ground drone prototype, at a corn field in northern Ukraine, Friday, June 28, 2024. Facing manpower shortages and uneven international assistance, Ukraine is struggling to halt Russia’s incremental but pounding advance in the east and is counting heavily on innovation at home. (AP Photo/Anton Shtuka)
Facing manpower shortages, overwhelming odds, and inconsistent international aid, Ukraine is seeking a strategic edge against Russia in abandoned warehouses and factory basements.
A clandestine network of laboratories in hundreds of secret workshops is driving innovation, developing a robot army designed to protect Ukrainian troops and civilians while targeting Russian forces.
Approximately 250 defense startups across Ukraine are developing these killing machines in secret locations resembling rural car repair shops.
These startups, including the venture led by entrepreneur Andrii Denysenko, can assemble unmanned ground vehicles like the Odyssey within four days. Priced at $35,000, the Odyssey is a fraction of the cost of imported models, making it a cost-effective solution for Ukraine’s military.
The production process involves partitioned sheds for welding, fiberglass construction of cargo beds, spray-painting in military colors, and integration of basic electronics and sensors.
This agile approach contrasts sharply with the methods of large Western defense contractors.
The military is evaluating numerous new unmanned air, ground, and marine vehicles produced by these no-frills startups, whose methods differ greatly from those of major Western defense firms.
In May, a fourth branch of Ukraine’s military, the Unmanned Systems Forces, was established alongside the army, navy, and air force.
Engineers draw inspiration from defense articles and online videos to create cost-effective platforms, with weapons or smart components added later.
“We are fighting a huge country,and they don’t have any resource limits. We understand that we cannot spend a lot of human lives,” said Denysenko head of defense startup UkrPrototyp.” War is mathematics”.
Last month, one of their drones, the car-sized Odyssey, demonstrated its capabilities in a northern Ukrainian cornfield.
The 800-kilogram prototype, resembling a small, turretless tank, can travel up to 30 kilometers on a single battery charge.
It serves as a rescue-and-supply platform but can be modified to carry a remotely operated heavy machine gun or mine-clearing charges.
“Squads of robots will become logistics devices, tow trucks, minelayers, and deminers, as well as self-destructive robots,” a government fundraising page announced following the launch of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. “The first robots are already proving their effectiveness on the battlefield.”
Mykhailo Fedorov, the deputy prime minister for digital transformation, is urging citizens to take free online courses to assemble aerial drones at home, aiming for Ukrainians to produce a million flying machines annually.
“There will be more of them soon,” the fundraising page declared. “Many more.”
AP
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