Ratel ground robots receive active protection systems against FPV drones: development details

Ukraine has launched serial production of an active protection system for Ratel unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). The system was developed specifically to counter enemy FPV drones on the battlefield, the company told Defender Media.

“Previously, our protection system was fixed to the platform and had three launch barrels, but during testing we realised it simply wasn’t effective. We therefore developed a new version featuring eight launch barrels oriented in different directions across the platform,” Ratel Robotics said.

The upgraded system integrates stereo cameras, computer vision algorithms, a trained neural network, and net launchers.

Artificial intelligence analyses camera feeds, detects airborne targets, and tracks them. When an enemy drone enters the engagement zone, the system automatically determines the optimal firing time and deploys the net launcher, eliminating the need for manual targeting by an operator.

The system is currently undergoing testing.

Key features of the system:

• Autonomous detection: A proprietary neural network identifies airborne threats and automatically detects approaching FPV drones.
• Interception method: Threats are neutralised using specially designed nets.
• 360-degree protection: The system provides all-round protection, which is vital when the platform manoeuvres in environments with heavy FPV drone activity.

Integrating active protection systems of this type into Ratel platforms significantly increases the survivability of unmanned ground vehicles during logistical, evacuation, and strike missions on the front line, the company stated.

Defender Media previously reported on the lineup of unmanned aerial vehicles developed by the Ratel Drones division for various operational roles.