Ukraine’s “Legit” unmanned ground vehicleOLEKSANDR KLYMENKO/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Getty Images
There’s a received piece of wisdom among militaries around the world that whatever new technologies appear, in the end, foot soldiers are what matters. As British Army officer Field Marshal Archibald Wavell put it shortly after the second world war: “All battles and all wars are won in the end by the infantryman.” This may now finally be changing.
Robots in battle are about to reach a critical point for Ukraine. In May, it began the mass production of Legit, a low-cost robot capable of carrying a machine gun. This comes after announcing plans to replace a third of its infantry with uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) in one sector, despite their limitations.
“Even imperfect systems become valuable if they absorb risk instead of soldiers,” says Oleksandra Molloy at the University of New South Wales in Australia.
The most important proving ground for Ukraine’s robots will be the front line. It is there where casualties are most likely and where substituting machines for people is most vital. Yet, the front is only thinly populated with soldiers watching over ditches and minefields. The real intelligence gathering is done by drones, with one Ukrainian soldier reportedly saying that the observers are only there because “old generals” demand boots on the ground.
