The Ukrainian 28th Mechanized Brigade has created a remote-controlled robot capable of shooting down Russian aircraft, marking the first such weapon in the ongoing conflict. The invention provides air defense solutions for soldiers at the front lines, allowing defense against drones without requiring personnel to expose themselves. The unit has adapted a Soviet-era missile system, the Igla, to arm this ground robot. This innovation reflects the need for enhanced air defense due to constant threats from Russian aviation.
"Russian aviation poses a threat not only to peaceful cities but also directly to the front line," Ukraine's 28th Mechanized Brigade explained in a post on the Telegram messaging app, adding that Russian planes, helicopters, and reconnaissance drones appear over infantry positions regularly.
In the past, soldiers could use man-portable air defenses to shoot down the aircraft, "but now the situation has changed," the 28th said, according to a translation of the statement.
The unit said it responded to this problem by arming a ground robot with an 'Igla' surface-to-air missile system, developing the country's first air defense system mounted on an uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV).
The 9K38 Igla is a Soviet-era man-portable air defense system, known as MANPADS. It is essentially a shoulder-launched weapon that fires munitions at higher-threat targets like planes, helicopters, and cruise missiles that might be beyond the reach of machine guns.
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