New Ukrainian Remote Control Demining Vehicle Revealed

The Ministry of Digital Transformation has unveiled a new unmanned, remotely controlled demining drone produced in Ukraine, the Ratel Deminer, which will allow greatly enhanced safety and efficiency for sappers, or mine clearing soldiers and engineers, reports the agency via social media.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, announced the Ratel Deminer on his Telegram channel on Thursday, March 28, as reported on the Militarnyi website.

To date more than 140 unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) platforms, drones, have been registered on the Brave1 defense technology platform. Of these, 96 received the BRV1 status, which means they have been prioritized by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) for further development and 14 have been codified in line with NATO standards which qualifies them to receive future investment and government-issued contracts.

The Ratel Deminer is the latest to be granted BRV1 status which allows the system to be further developed with the aim of bringing it up to final operational capability.

It is a remotely driven flail-equipped vehicle designed to locate and neutralize anti-personnel mines that allows human deminers to operate in greater safety. It is equipped with a daylight CCTV camera that enables the operator to more accurately direct it and to avoid obstacles including anti-tank mines or unexploded artillery ordnance that could destroy the vehicle.

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However, Warsaw might be divided in its stance on the idea with the foreign minister calling it a “constitutional duty” while its deputy prime minister worrying it could drag Poland into the war.

As such it is not unique but by being developed and manufactured domestically will be a cost-effective alternative to the well-established Slovakian Bozena, Swiss/German Mine Wolf, Croatian DOK-ING, and UKArmtrac flail systems.

The Ratel Deminer has been successfully field tested in real minefields, containing Russian PFM-1, PMN-4, PMN-3, and PMN-2 anti-personnel landmines (APL) near Sviatohirsk, Donetsk region.

The vehicle is based on the Ratel S and Ratel M, which have passed full NATO codification and are already in active use with the AFU.

The Ratel S (Honey Badger) is a first-person view (FPV), four-wheel drive kamikaze UGV designed to attack enemy vehicles or emplacements with a 40-kilogram explosive payload. The Ratel M is one of several base vehicles used for a variety of missions such as delivering materiel into and recovering casualties from hazardous areas and is also being developed the carry and fight with a range of infantry weapons.

Fedorov promoted the work Brave1 cluster develop military technologies on his Facebook page on March 12. He listed a whole range of UGV platforms that had been tested and assessed at its proving grounds.

This included more than 50 kamikaze vehicles, strike platforms, turrets, mine laying, demining, evacuating the wounded, and delivering ammunition and other materiel to forward positions.

Fedorov said such vehicles were a game changer that would not only help minimize the threat to Ukraine’s military on the battlefield but would maximize the AFU’s ability to take on Russian forces which have the manpower numerical advantage.