Logistics, evacuation, and fire missions: how the SSU’s special forces use the Droid TW-12.7 UGV

DevDroid has published footage on its YouTube channel showing the use of the multifunctional Droid TW-12.7 unmanned ground vehicle by fighters of the “A” Special Operations Centre of the Security Service of Ukraine.

The video features several episodes of the ground drone being used during “Alpha” operations, including:

• logistics under fire;
• evacuation of a prisoner for subsequent transfer to the exchange pool;
• elimination of enemy personnel.

For the first time, the transport of a captured soldier by a ground robotic system was captured on a UGV’s onboard camera.

DevDroid notes that “Alpha” was one of the first Ukrainian units to systematically deploy UGVs in real combat operations. “Alpha saw these technologies not as an ‘interesting toy’, but as an effective tool – and made it a reality on the battlefield,” says DevDroid CEO Yurii Poritskyi.

The Droid TW-12.7 was developed by DevDroid engineers based on the NUMO platform from Tank Bureau as an integrated solution for reconnaissance and fire missions. The UGV is equipped with a remotely operated turret mounting a 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun. This allows it to engage lightly armoured targets (IFVs, APCs, and armoured vehicles), unarmoured targets, and enemy personnel at short and medium ranges.

In December, Defender Media reported on the completion of codification of the Droid NW 40 unmanned ground vehicle — the first UGV armed with a grenade launcher approved for use by Ukraine’s Defence Forces.