“Gnomes on the side of the Armed Forces”: the 65th brigade tests UGV with grenade launcher

The 65th Mechanised Brigade is conducting the final testing of the unmanned ground vehicle Gnom, equipped with either a machine gun or grenade launcher. A report on the trials was published by Military Television of Ukraine.

Over the course of approximately two months, the drone has undergone two modifications. Initially, it had issues with connectivity — the signal would drop as early as 50 or 100 metres from the operator. The furthest distance it managed to cover was about one kilometre in open terrain.

The weapons were mounted independently. At first, it was only possible to attach an ammunition belt for 100 rounds. After modifications, it became possible to install either one box for 250 rounds or three boxes of 100. The operator can fire by simply pressing a button.

The drone is equipped with several cameras: a main camera, a sighting camera, and a thermal imager. When all the cameras are switched off, the drone can remain concealed in a caponier for several hours before being deployed.

During RPG tests, the drone remained stationary — it only slightly embedded itself into the ground due to recoil but did not shift position. The testing also included bursts of 50 rounds from a machine gun, with all shots hitting the intended target. According to the military, the drone’s main function is to halt enemy assaults or fire at dugouts and defensive positions.

Before it could be deployed in combat, the wheels had to be replaced. The original tyres were air-filled and easily punctured by debris or broken glass. Mounts for the weapon and antennas were also upgraded.

While such a drone cannot fully replace an infantry unit, its firepower is comparable, and its use significantly eases the workload of troops on the front line. In manual control mode, the operator can see the target and make adjustments to aim. However, this will not be possible under combat conditions, so the drone still needs to be fitted with a stable communications system.

Since the beginning of May, the Ministry of Defence has authorised the operation of at least two ground-based robots within the Armed Forces of Ukraine — Vislyuk and Spider. In April, more than 70 developments underwent testing within the Brave1 state cluster.