Given how important drones have become in the two years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the first battle between robots in history couldn't have taken long.
And it did. It happened this Sunday, in the Berdychi region of eastern Ukraine, and there's even a video showing how the skirmishes took place.
According to Russian propagandist Boris Rozhin on his Telegram account, Moscow tested an unmanned ground vehicle in real combat situations, which launched several hundred grenades at Ukrainian positions.
"The first assault drone strike in history. In Berdychi, which is now being liberated by Russian troops, field tests of a promising new Russian robotic platform were carried out, " wrote Rozhin.
According to an independent intelligence service quoted by El Confidencial, as well as using an AGS-17/30 automatic grenade launcher, these robots can also lay TM-62 anti-armor mines.
Rozhin claims that the test was a resounding success. "During combat use, the drones showed good results. They were able to continue operating even in conditions where losses of personnel and expensive equipment by enemy fire would have been inevitable."
However, the first robotic battle in history didn't turn out exactly as Rozhin reports. According to Forbes magazine, the Ukrainian army blew up at least two of the Russian robots in the usual way: with drones.
A video shared on X-Twitter by the Ukrainian 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade shows how two small remote-controlled drones approach Russian mini-tanks and blow them up.
"Right now, anything that moves on the battlefield can be seen and hit by a drone," analyst Samuel Bendett, a specialist in Russian military technology, told Forbes.
Faced with a shortage of artillery due to the drastic reduction in foreign aid, the Kiev army is focusing on drone production. According to Ukrainian sources, at least 50,000 remote-controlled drones are built every month.
These small drones, which have a range of a few kilometers, can be fitted with grenades or explosive heads.
"Right now, anything that moves on the battlefield can be seen and hit by a drone," analyst Samuel Bendett, a specialist in Russian military technology, told Forbes.
Faced with a shortage of artillery due to the drastic reduction in foreign aid, the Kiev army is focusing on drone production. According to Ukrainian sources, at least 50,000 remote-controlled drones are built every month.
These small drones, which have a range of a few kilometers, can be fitted with grenades or explosive heads.
Drone attacks have become an example of the tremendous offensive potential of a theoretically inferior force in asymmetric warfare, offering strategic advantages against an adversary who, in a conventional war, would be unquestionably superior.