Old American armor, new Ukrainian brain: Skelya regiment nears completion of M1117 unmanned conversion
The regiment's Innovation Center is finishing a project to remotely control an armored vehicle based on a chassis originally designed during the Vietnam War era.
The 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skelya in Ukraine is finishing the conversion of American M1117 Guardian armored vehicles into remotely operated platforms as part of their remote infantry concept. Regiment head Edhar Vinnik asserts that if a machine can perform a task without endangering soldiers, then that machine should be utilized.
The Innovation Center established by Skelya developed unmanned systems and robotic platforms. This approach earned Skelya a DELTA innovation competition prize of around $33,700. The regiment's conversion of M1117 vehicles follows their previous conversion of the Novator armored car in June. The M1117 conversion is nearing completion, and the project has incorporated multiple communication channels, including Starlink, LTE, and Silvus radio systems.
Vinnik stresses that software integration is crucial for scaling unmanned platforms, and Skelya's IT Innovation Department develops proprietary software for coordinating unmanned systems. The cost of the project is significantly reduced by using off-the-shelf routers, making the technology scalable for hundreds of Ukrainian crews.
The M1117 Guardian, a vehicle built on a Vietnam-era Cadillac Gage Commando chassis, exemplifies the trend of converting existing vehicles into unmanned platforms rather than building new robots. This approach aligns with a broader Ukrainian trend of repurposing existing vehicles for remote control rather than developing entirely new robotic systems.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
