Ukraine's all-robotic airborne assaults are becoming a new battlefield reality

Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi, the commander of Ukraine's Third Army Corps, made a highly unusual disclosure late last month, revealing that his forces had become the "first in the world" to air-drop ground robots from drones in combat.

The tactic is called "Gryphon" and is named after a soldier who went missing in action near Andriivka, said Mykola Zinkevych, commander of NC13, the world's first strike uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) unit. Rather than driving explosive-laden robots across the front line, heavy drones dropped the bots in the Russian rear, creating an unexpected new direction of attack.

NC13, a unit within the Third Assault Brigade of the Third Army Corps, has played a leading role in Operation Vivaldi. Zinkevych, who goes by the call sign "Makar," spoke to Business Insider through a translator this week to discuss his unit's participation.

Operation Vivaldi, however, has demonstrated the potential for entirely uncrewed airborne assaults. Rather than risking helicopters, transport aircraft, or paratroopers, drones can drop robots behind enemy lines, and Ukraine's booming defense industry is working on solutions to advance this concept, as are military units.

The unit engineered a specialized robot called "Desantnyk," as well as a mechanism that allows its heavy bomber drones to carry and drop the robot deep behind the front lines. It has already been used to attack Russian positions, Brave1 said, adding that the entire process, from initial concept to combat deployment, took just 10 days.

Add BI in Google so our reporting is easier to find when you’re searching for what matters.

"This is an asymmetrical solution that the enemy does not expect — delivering mobility and the capability to conduct operations far behind enemy lines," the representative said.

Other Ukrainian defense companies, likewise, see value in these systems.

The concept of using robotic systems to carry each other into battle is not necessarily new. Earlier this year, for instance, Business Insider reported that a Ukrainian defense manufacturer said soldiers surprised them by dropping one of its robots from a drone.

And motherships have become increasingly popular. Ukrainian firms have engineered new ways to launch drones from autonomous platforms, such as uncrewed boats and ground robots, significantly increasing their operational range.

Using drones to air-drop robots into battle — a tactic Brave1 said is unique to Ukraine and that only a few units are able to pull off right now — is Kyiv's latest homemade mothership concept.

"During assault operations, ahead of the infantry, UAVs and loitering munitions always go first," Biletskyi, the Third Army Corps commander, said on September 20 while sharing Operation Vivaldi details on social media.