Can Robots Replace Soldiers as the Key to Victory?

Reference News Network, June 14 According to the British magazine New Scientist's website on June 10, Ukraine is about to reach a critical moment with combat robots. In May of this year, the country began mass production of Legit, a low-cost robot capable of carrying a machine gun. Previously, Ukraine announced plans to replace one-third of its infantry in a combat zone with unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), despite the limitations of these vehicles.

Alexandra Molloy from the University of New South Wales in Australia said, "Even imperfect systems become valuable if they can take risks on behalf of soldiers."

Can robots hold the line on their own? Ukrainian army commander Mykola Tsenkevych stated that they have already done so. He mentioned that a UGV, the size of a four-wheeled beach buggy, operated remotely and traveled at about 6 kilometers per hour, successfully held a frontline position alone for 45 days, repelling attacks from Russian forces.

With no soldiers in the combat position, the DevDroid robot would occasionally return to allow operators to change batteries and reload magazines. UGVs were previously mainly used for transporting supplies, but they are increasingly being equipped with remote-controlled machine gun turrets.

The next challenge for UGVs is offense, which is much more difficult due to limited mobility. In 2024, the Ukrainian military conducted its first-ever attack entirely carried out by robots. Although carefully surveyed to avoid obstacles, two machines still got stuck. Nevertheless, this attack successfully captured Russian positions.

Since then, Ukraine has continued to conduct small-scale UGV operations, allowing the military to develop specialized robotic tactics. One unit estimated that the robot assaults reduced their casualties by hundreds.

Ukrainian President Zelensky announced in April this year a plan to increase the production of ground UGVs to 50,000 by 2026, with last year's production being about half of that number. He stated, "Everyone must understand: this is to save lives."

This situation did not arise from a technological breakthrough. UGVs are relatively simple robots controlled by remote operators. In 2007, the U.S. deployed similar armed robots in Iraq, but they were not used. Ukraine faces pressure in testing robots: the number of Ukrainian soldiers is far fewer than that of Russian soldiers. For the same reason, Russia has conducted fewer experiments with automation.

The cost is not high. The price of Legit is only about $11,400, partly because it uses components originally designed for two-wheeled electric scooters, or Hoverboards. Cheap, expendable machines can be sacrificed in suicide attacks or fight to defend a position until they run out of ammunition, allowing humans to avoid risking their lives.

Molloy said, "The battlefield rarely rewards elegance. It rewards survivability, redundancy, low cost, and scalability."

Andriy Biletsky, commander of Ukraine's Third Corps, expressed his hope that robots could make up 80% of Ukraine's combat forces in the near future.

Current wheeled and tracked UGVs are not suitable for urban terrain or entering buildings, but this may change. The U.S. military is experimenting with humanoid robots for "breaching operations," which involve using explosives to create an entry point into buildings. Current humanoid robots are still clumsy, but various manufacturers, including Elon Musk's Tesla, believe that agile, AI-powered humanoid robots could achieve mass production within two years.

Molloy stated, "UGVs do not actually replace military personnel; they are a means of reallocating and upgrading human resources and skills."

However, there is a clear upgrade path that would allow AI-driven machines to operate without human control, which would be more efficient but also present ethical challenges.

The success of Ukraine's UGVs is still uncertain, and many would argue that trench warfare is an easier environment for robots compared to other types of conflict. However, the emergence of robotic soldiers in Ukraine may signify a permanent change in the nature of warfare. (Translated by Feng Xue)