At the Idex defence fair in Abu Dhabi, a massive range of robotic and remote control ground military systems was on display, from tiny buggies that drop off supplies or offload a single mine to full-scale armoured vehicles capable of autonomous driving with no crew.
For industry professionals, fully robotic battles may already be here – clashes with few soldiers in sight – despite challenges in fielding autonomous ground systems. Experts say a major draw for the systems is the high casualty rates seen in modern warfare, which could be lessened by advancing robotic systems soaking up enemy fire, forcing enemy troops to expose their positions by shooting at ground drones.
An unnerving twist to such an attack, recently seen in Ukraine, could involve simultaneous aerial attacks by drones, some of which can already pick out targets using computer vision. Ground systems are also highly versatile and often modular, meaning that we could soon see everything from unmanned vehicles firing massive anti-ship missiles, like the US Rogue Fires JLTV made by Oshkosh, to small systems dropping off medical supplies.
“We have 19 customers for Themis,” a representative from Milrem Robotics, an Estonian company specialising in unmanned ground equipment, told The National. Milrem, which is majority-owned by the UAE’s Edge Group, has worked with the Emirati company on one of the world’s largest unmanned ground system projects. Themis, a highly mobile tracked weapons system, can bristle with remotely fired guns, day or night sensors and even anti-aircraft missiles.
Its quiet operation and low profile make it hard to spot on the battlefield, and its modular design allows it to take on different roles over several kilometres. Roles can include evacuating casualties or delivering supplies close to the front line, where supply lorries make for large, easy targets.
With recent events in Ukraine, robots like Themis will be a common sight on the modern battlefield, as well as much larger combat vehicles like Milrem’s eight-wheel drive, turreted Havoc, which is designed to be controlled from nearby armoured vehicles, an approach known as human-machine teaming also explored by the British and US armies. Havoc can also navigate using computer vision, or AI.
It’s a growing trend, from vehicles that drive and potentially fight autonomously, like Rheinmetall’s Mission Master, to systems that help soldiers make quick decisions under fire. While radio-controlled systems sometimes have a range limited by hills and large buildings, Milrem's systems can be used with nearby dedicated control vehicles with radio links, including a dedicated NIMR mobile armoured control centre – made by the UAE company of the same name.
That ensures they can stay operating right on the front line, keeping the enemy off balance, and follows a pattern of armies envisioning their unmanned systems controlled by troops in nearby armoured vehicles, or able to move autonomously. A low profile, the Milrem spokesman says, is good for "silent watch", where the vehicle switches off its engine to reduce noise and its visibility to thermal cameras, but keeps monitoring the battlefield using its sensors.
The first robot attack?
Last month, defence analyst Tim Mak described what some believe may have been history’s first fully semi-automated attack with unmanned ground vehicles and aerial drones working together. The assault took place in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, and involved dozens of aerial and ground drones.
It appears to have been a long time in the making – although it’s not the first time flying drones and ground robots have fought in the same clash. Ukraine is said to have tested around 100 different types of UGVs, using them to deliver mines, evacuate casualties and in some cases fire weapons remotely at the enemy. Both Russia and Ukraine had armed unmanned vehicles before Russia’s 2022 invasion, but the war has spurred a race to innovate.
Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov has said his country is planning entire units of unmanned ground vehicles, meaning that entirely unmanned attacks could be increasingly common. One defence industry source working on unmanned ground systems, who wasn’t authorised to speak to the media, told The National at IDEX that manpower problems for countries like Ukraine are increasingly a challenge in modern war, amid worsening demographics in the industrialised world.
Israel, which has struggled to maintain mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in post-October 7 wars in Gaza and Lebanon, says its forces have mounted what they called “robotic combat missions” using unmanned M113 armoured personnel carriers and flying drones in Gaza. The M113s, widely considered obsolete, were used to deliver equipment and in some cases, simply filled with bombs to demolish buildings, a tactic also seen in Ukraine.
Using unmanned vehicles in urban environments and bomb-damaged landscapes is challenging, says Sam Cranny-Evans, an independent defence consultant and associate fellow at Rusi, a think tank.
“For a land platform, whether it's remotely controlled or autonomously navigating, it has to deal with the terrain,” he says. For automated or remotely controlled systems, Mr Cranny-Evans says it can be hard to assess areas of broken ground that could be craters that could trap the vehicle. Autonomous platforms also have “trained” computer vision, navigating with onboard 3D maps of urban areas.
One workaround for this is that the vehicles could switch between remotely operated and autonomously driven depending on the situation.
“If somebody flattens a building and you previously had 3D-mapped the area, that's no longer valid, right?” Mr Cranny-Evans says. Challenges like this are influencing how defence planners view the systems, from expendable and cheap unmanned systems that might only be able to travel 1-2km at best, to highly advanced, large and expensive systems with multiple all-weather, day-and-night sensors and robotic vision, like Havoc.
“We have many solutions,” says Hyonbin Hong, Vice President of Global Business at LIG Nex1, a South Korean defence corporation currently working on unmanned systems. “Through co-operation with the platform company, we believe we can develop a more customised solution for unmanned ground vehicles and manned-unmanned teaming operations. For example we are conducting a co-development and co-production project with the UAE,” he tells The National.
The uses for unmanned ground systems keep expanding, suggesting they are here to stay. Parson Engineering, which has historically made equipment for clearing minefields or other man-made enemy obstacles, as well as rivers, has adapted its equipment to experimental, large-scale US combat robots.
As with the advantage of keeping soldiers alive, the unmanned mine clearance robots can save on expensive, large systems like the Leopard 2R mine-clearing vehicle, which costs several million dollars. Many Leopard 2R’s supplied to Ukraine were destroyed during mine-clearing operations, with crew killed or wounded.
Mr Cranny-Evans says taking on this kind of life saving role for unmanned ground systems is absolutely critical.
“One way to reduce the impact of disabling a limited number of engineering assets is to disperse capability by equipping fighting vehicles with some level of capability that provides independent manoeuvre. Pearson Engineering has developed a range of equipment that achieves this without impacting the lethality or survivability of the combat vehicle,” a spokesperson for the company told The National.
“We’re seeing clear interest in exploring the art of the possible with regards to integrating engineering capability with uncrewed vehicles. Minefield breaching is a particularly dangerous task and the ability to remove people from harm’s way can only be a good thing.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
