Unmanned robots with 'AI grenade launchers' could 'change battlefield' in Ukraine

Silent self-driving vehicles, powered by artificial intelligence, can fight enemy soldiers entirely on their own.

On the version shown to LBC, a 40mm grenade launcher was mounted to a six-wheel ground vehicle, capable of driving on all-terrain through the Ukrainian wilderness.

Geoff Davis, Managing Director of defence firm IDV UK, said: "Why put a human in danger when you can use a robot?"

"Whilst they can save lives, they also change fighting capability - you can fight differently. That’s what we see in Ukraine," Mr Davis said.

This comes as Russia continues its bombardment of Ukraine, with children among six people killed in strikes across the under-siege nation in a single attack this week.

US President Donald Trump put his planned meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on hold, saying he did not want it to be a "waste of time".

The vehicles can be operated remotely over secure communications links or given pre-set missions to carry out using artificial intelligence and sensors.

If they encounter terrain they cannot manage, they stop and request human intervention.

Developers say this hybrid approach, combining remote control with partial autonomy, is the most realistic option for armed forces today, as complete machine autonomy is difficult to achieve.

Mr Davis explained that while airborne systems can navigate small errors, ground vehicles have to get around obstacles such as trees, ditches and buildings without endangering friendly forces.

"True autonomy will come, but we need to be pragmatic. We can give the customer tele-operations or remote control from a distance, and we can give the vehicle autonomous capabilities to carry out specific missions."

"If the vehicle thinks it’s doing something unsafe, it can stop and say, ‘Guys, help me out here,’ and we can help guide it."

"Technically, it’s really challenging," he said.

Expert in AI ethics, Dr Masoumeh (Iran) Mansouri, warned we must be "wary" of this new technology.

She explained, despite claims it keeps soldiers away from the frontline, AI vehicles could "accelerate killing" as soldiers must make a decision to kill another or take them as prisoner - but this tech takes that choice away.

Dr Mansouri added that she's "not convinced" that the vehicle will be able to navigate the Ukrainian wilderness.

"There's no baseline to compare with," she said.

"It's quite difficult to see how it's useful."

The vehicles are being tested for carrying heavy packs, ammunition and water across difficult terrain so that troops can move faster and with less strain.

"A soldier typically will carry a Bergen with some 50 pounds or above… you can make your soldiers much more mobile by having a vehicle carrying all your gear, plus water, ammunition, supplies."

The vehicles can also be used in casualty evacuation. In Ukraine, medics have been targeted when attempting rescues.

Mr Davis pointed out: "One person’s injured, but actually four or five get injured or killed in the process of rescuing them.

"A machine can do that really quickly. It can get you out of the area to a medical facility."

The vehicles being used in Ukraine currently are typically low-cost and designed for single missions, with operators expecting them to be destroyed in the process.

By contrast, systems such as Viking are built for more complex operations, relying on multiple layers of sensors, including cameras, infrared and LiDAR, as well as navigation that does not depend on GPS (which is frequently jammed on the battlefield).

Mr Davis said his team has worked with the Ministry of Defence for nearly 20 years on autonomous systems.

The technology was first rolled out in Afghanistan, where uncrewed machines were deployed to detect landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Those early programmes saved lives and sparked further investment in research, leading to today’s new generation of vehicles.

Mr Davis said: "We helped develop an autonomous, remote control, semi-autonomous piece of equipment that allowed them to scan the route ahead and make sure there were no IEDs or mines. It saved lives, it was really successful."

IDV has already delivered vehicles to Norway, Sweden and Italy, and is now aiming at the much larger US defence market.