War’s next tech leap: Former Ukraine’s defense minister behind “Army of Drones” is now creating new “Army of Robots”
The architect of Ukraine's "Army of Drones" wants robots to do the deadliest work.
Former Ukraine defense minister Myhailo Fedorov is shifting focus from drones to robots in the war, aiming to create an "Army of Robots." During a speech at the IT Arena conference in Lviv, he announced the private-sector initiative, which seeks to deploy robots to carry out the most dangerous tasks on the battlefield. Fedorov's Army of Drones, launched in 2022, already utilized drones in over 95 percent of Ukraine's battlefield hits, with more than 700 manufacturers producing them.
He believes robotization is the next major leap in warfare and is establishing an ecosystem to invest in defense-tech firms, support research and development, test with troops, and scale quickly. Fedorov is operating outside the government, having recently left the defense ministry and co-founded a defense-tech company backed by Palantir's Alex Karp.
His vision involves positioning machines at the forefront of the battlefield, with humanoid robots clearing minefields, carrying ammunition, and engaging in combat, thereby protecting soldiers from taking those hazardous roles. Although the Army of Robots is a concept rather than an operational force, Fedorov's drone-based model has proved successful and serves as the foundation for his new robotic endeavor.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
