Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Andriy Lebedenko stated at a conference during the Precision hackathon that unmanned systems on the battlefield now surpass traditional weapons, including artillery, in effectiveness. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported this on Facebook.
"Technologies must be the foundation of Ukraine's victory. The prerequisite is rapid adaptation and close collaboration between the private and public sectors, as well as the widespread use and relevance of various unmanned systems in water, air, and on land. This was the main message of the Precision hackathon conference dedicated to unmanned systems," the statement reads.
The Precision hackathon was initiated by the Brave1 defense technology support cluster, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces to consolidate efforts between the private and public sectors in the field of defense technology development. The event featured Ukrainian and international developers, engineers, military personnel, experts, and scientists.
Deputy Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Colonel Andriy Lebedenko spoke at the event. According to him, significant technological shifts have occurred on the battlefield over the past nearly three years.
"The command of the Armed Forces sees this technological perspective. Our main goal is to find the most effective solutions to preserve the lives of our soldiers," emphasized the Deputy Commander.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces need continuous improvements in unmanned systems—machine vision, artificial intelligence elements, drone swarms, and modern electronic warfare means.
Conference participants discussed the need to improve interaction between the state and private unmanned systems manufacturers. This interaction will be intensified by the newly established Command of Unmanned Systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, led by Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, who also participated in the Precision hackathon.
According to Sukharevskyi, the Command of Unmanned Systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces combines three main elements: air, land, and water.
He explained the current challenges faced by the newly established command.
"Regarding aerial drones operating at tactical depth (up to 20 km), the Armed Forces have substantial experience and capabilities—over 165 aerial systems alone. We are currently working with manufacturers to define directions for improving this depth. We invite manufacturers to join us, visit our training grounds, and work together to enhance the necessary weapons and systems for the Ukrainian Armed Forces," urged the Command of Unmanned Systems.
According to Andriy Lebedenko, unmanned systems on the battlefield now surpass traditional weapons, including artillery, in effectiveness.
Thus, priority areas for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and weapon manufacturers are also technological. These include interceptors, artillery fire correction systems, counter-battery combat, and unmanned systems capable of operating effectively at operational (up to 100 km) and strategic depths (beyond 100 km).
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces General-Polkovnik Oleksandr Syrskyi has set the task of maximizing the preservation of lives on the battlefield. Thus, the implementation of technologies that effectively replace human presence with robotic systems in the most dangerous areas of the front is already underway.
Additionally, among the immediate steps in reforming unmanned systems are the implementation of swarm tactics and the installation of "friend-foe" systems on unmanned vehicles, which were previously used only in aviation.
“Today, the Commander-in-Chief has defined the task of comprehensive application of robotic complexes and UAVs on the battlefield. For instance, replacing platoon strongholds with technological systems, with personnel positioned outside dangerous zones. We can achieve a technological advantage that will allow us to win,” summarized Lebedenko.
