Ukrainian soldiers are set to receive advanced "hedgehog backpacks" and high-tech ground robots in a bid to defend against Russian drone attacks. The new equipment is expected to be available on the front lines within a month.
Robots to Evacuate Soldiers
Developed by the Ukrainian company Kvertus, the $6,000 "hedgehog backpack" gets its name from its numerous antennas designed to neutralize Russian drones. These antennas form a dome-shaped defense system to block drone signals.
The company has also produced a $100,000 ground robot, an unmanned vehicle equipped with antennas capable of disabling drones by jamming their GPS signals, according to Ziare.
In addition to its anti-drone capabilities, the robot can help transport soldiers away from the battlefield, a function particularly useful for evacuating the wounded.
Serhii Skorik, Kvertus' commercial director, explained to The Times that the idea for the ground robot came after a Ukrainian commander expressed frustration that troops could not evacuate wounded soldiers due to the heavy presence of Russian drones overhead.
Saved more than 50,000 Lives
Russian drones dominate much of Ukraine’s skies, and a significant portion of battlefield casualties has been attributed to these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The antennas on the new Ukrainian devices are designed to block signals from up to 300 meters away.
According to Skorik, Kvertus’ equipment has saved more than 50,000 lives since Russia's invasion began in 2022. Ukraine has been actively deploying anti-drone weapons to limit Russian attacks. Early in the war, Australian company DroneShield also provided Ukraine with its anti-drone systems.
This new wave of defense technology comes as Ukraine ramps up its own drone production. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced earlier this month that Ukraine is now capable of producing up to four million drones per year.
Ukraine’s defense industry, which barely existed before Russia's invasion in February 2022, has rapidly expanded. Zelensky also shared that Ukraine had contracted the production of 1.5 million drones this year alone.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal added that Ukraine has tripled its total domestic arms production in 2023 and doubled it again within the first eight months of this year.
