Ukraine Uses Ground Robots and Drones to Hit Russian Launchers as Jet Engine Production Scales Up
Ukrainian units report using KARA ground robots to resupply troops and evacuate wounded while armed ground drones struck Russian positions for the first time, as drone operators destroyed a TOS‑3 launcher and a Smerch system and Ukraine expanded serial production of turbojet engines.
Ukraine’s forces are tying new ground robotics and domestic engine production directly to frontline strikes on Russian launchers. Recent reports from units across the country describe the use of KARA ground robots in combat zones, successful drone attacks on high‑value Russian systems and the rapid growth of turbojet manufacturing inside Ukraine.
During Operation Vivaldi, Ukraine’s 60th Mechanized Brigade says it used KARA ground robots to deliver food, weapons and ammunition and to evacuate civilians and wounded troops. The same unit reports employing armed ground drones to strike Russian positions for the first time, marking a shift from experimental trials to combat use for these platforms.
In the same named operation, special forces focused on Russian rocket artillery. Operators from the MURAMASA 21st Special Operations Battalion Kraken report that they tracked and hit a Russian TOS‑3 multiple launch rocket system after it fired thermobaric and incendiary munitions. The launcher attempted to relocate, but the Ukrainian drone closed the distance and struck it while it was moving.
Thermobaric and incendiary rockets are designed to cause intense blast and fire effects, which makes their launchers key targets. Neutralizing a TOS‑3 shortly after it fires limits Russia’s ability to repeat such strikes from the same position.
Ukraine’s National Guard has also highlighted a separate operation against long‑range rockets. Lasar’s Group said it destroyed a Smerch multiple launch rocket system and a transport‑loading vehicle that had been attacking civilians in Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. Drone operators identified a shelter hiding the system at a distance of around 60 kilometers from the front line and then located the multiple launch rocket system there before destroying it.
These battlefield claims sit against a backdrop of industrial change. Andrii Hrytseniuk, head of the Brave1 defense cluster, said Ukraine now has six companies producing turbojet engines at serial scale, with eleven Ukrainian firms developing such engines in total. He noted that before Brave1 launched a dedicated funding program in 2025, no private Ukrainian company produced these engines. Establishing production took more than a year and a half.
Expanded turbojet output supports Ukraine’s growing fleet of drones and other unmanned systems. Domestic production reduces dependence on foreign suppliers, can shorten design cycles for new models and makes it harder for Russia to predict or disrupt the supply of critical components.
The next signs to watch are whether Ukraine can scale both robotic platforms and engine production fast enough to sustain this style of operations, and how Russian forces react, whether through more electronic warfare, different launcher deployment patterns or new tactics aimed at countering ground robots and drones.
Sources
- OSINT