Tech • AI • Robotics • Game
We had to switch off our phones to film this: Ukraine’s war robots
6/10TL;DR
Tenord, a young Ukrainian maker of unmanned ground vehicles, says battlefield demand is shifting warfare toward modular, semi-autonomous robots built at speed and designed to reduce dependence on China.
KEY POINTS
A fast-growing Ukrainian UGV maker
Tenord says it began developing ground robots in 2024, starting in a garage before scaling into one of the more widely used UGV suppliers on the Ukrainian battlefield. Its flagship platform, Termit, is a modular unmanned ground vehicle used for logistics, engineering, medical evacuation and combat roles. The company’s chief executive described it as one of the most common UGVs in use, though he declined to disclose total deliveries.
Training infrastructure is expanding
Operations are being supported by dedicated training grounds in Ukraine built specifically for UGV crews and maintenance teams. These centers are meant to move systems into combat readiness at scale, reflecting how ground robotics are becoming a formal part of military structure rather than an improvised niche capability. The emphasis is not only on piloting, but also on upkeep and field deployment.
Modularity is the main selling point
Termit is designed so one base platform can be adapted for different missions instead of requiring separate fleets. The vehicle can take engineering equipment, combat modules and other payloads, which the company argues simplifies procurement and repair. A base version starts at about $30,000, while more heavily armed variants can cost far more depending on configuration, including turrets supplied by partners such as Frontline.
Production has scaled quickly
The company says it is producing roughly 350 units per month and more. That pace underlines how rapidly Ukrainian defense manufacturing has evolved under wartime pressure. The manufacturer also pointed to a broader national push, noting a public defense estimate that as many as 50,000 ground robotic systems could be contracted this year across the sector.
Logistics, not firepower, dominates use
Despite public attention on armed robots, the company says about 80% of battlefield use is tied to logistics. Unmanned ground vehicles are moving food, ammunition and drone payloads to positions where human movement is increasingly dangerous. Typical speed for current medium platforms is around 15 to 20 kilometers per hour, with larger future platforms expected to reach up to 60 kilometers per hour.
The battlefield is driving autonomy
Current systems are still primarily remote-controlled, but the next generation is moving toward semi-autonomous operation. Tenord says its roadmap now includes onboard AI modules that allow vehicles to continue limited missions if communications are lost and to take cover in emergencies. Full autonomy remains difficult in combat, and the company argues many foreign systems that claim it do not yet work under frontline conditions.
Range requirements are rising sharply
The performance demanded from UGVs has changed dramatically within a year. The company says a one-way mission of 2 kilometers once sufficed, but platforms later had to handle 20 kilometers using four communication channels and three cameras, then at least 40 kilometers early this year. It is now designing for 60-plus kilometers, with operation expected even without GPS or stable communications.
China remains a strategic vulnerability
The company says it already manufactures its own controllers and is working with local and allied partners on non-Chinese cameras, but critical dependencies remain. Lithium-ion batteries and magnets are still difficult to replace, making supply-chain sovereignty a central concern. The argument is that Europe and Ukraine need joint industrial capacity before any wider crisis, including one involving Taiwan, disrupts access to Chinese components.
European expansion is planned but slowed by bureaucracy
Tenord says partnerships with German and French companies are intended both to support Ukraine’s war effort and to prepare systems tailored for NATO armies. It expects manufacturing and joint development projects in Europe to begin this year, but says legal and compliance processes are much slower than wartime decision-making in Ukraine. The company’s message to European governments is that adaptation is still too slow for the pace of modern war.
A wider warning for Europe
The company argues that many European militaries still underestimate how quickly unmanned systems can alter the balance on the battlefield. Its chief executive said a single Russian battalion of unmanned systems could pose a grave threat to a small frontline state such as Estonia. He also argued that defense innovation now becomes obsolete in months, making speed, partnerships and interoperability more important than protecting any single design from copying.
CONCLUSION
Ukraine’s ground-robotics sector is moving from improvised wartime innovation to industrial-scale production, with modularity, AI and supply-chain independence emerging as the next decisive factors. The larger test is whether Europe can match that speed with procurement, partnerships and manufacturing capacity.
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