Usage Areas and Future of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs)

Usage Areas and Future of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs)

Unmanned aerial vehicles have been used quite effectively in recent wars. Due to the success of these vehicles and the excessive tank and armoured vehicle casualties in battles, the development and use of unmanned vehicles for land forces has accelerated. 

The new systems are planned to be used in various activities ranging from revenge, logistics and medical evacuation. In addition to unmanned land vehicles, robotic combat vehicle models are also being worked on. The systems and vehicles being produced range from very small to the size of a standard armoured vehicle. 

One of these models, about which information has been published in the press and social media for a long time, is robots/vehicles that look like a small mule or donkey. These robots can make important contributions to infantry and special units conducting counter-terrorism operations in the mountains and slopes. 

The most important issue that we suffered from during the period I was in service was getting extremely tired while climbing steep mountains and searching for terrorists, sometimes with a load of nearly 40 kilograms. If such robots are made available, they can help the personnel reach the target in a more vigorous manner by carrying the heavy materials and ammunition of the team. 

In addition, these robots can be equipped with night vision and thermal camera systems to assist in surveillance missions. Detectors or other systems to be mounted on them can also be used to search for mines and IEDs.

These robots can carry radio batteries and charge the batteries by utilising solar energy. Amplitude modulated radios and satellite phones can be mounted on them for long distance communication.

As another type of remotely operated vehicle, light wheeled vehicles that can be used for logistic purposes are being developed. As I have personally experienced in internal security operations, supply activities are one of the most difficult and problematic issues. 

Periodic resupply to base areas, outposts and similar facilities located in different regions causes great difficulties. Supply vehicles travelling in convoy become vulnerable to mines, IEDs and ambushes. For this reason, many vehicle, material and personnel casualties occur. 

Carrying out road safety tasks to prevent this causes the units that are supposed to carry out operations to be constantly busy with these tasks. Performing resupply activities with remotely controlled light wheeled vehicles can eliminate these problems.

Thus, troops can be used mainly in combat missions.Securing convoys from the air with drones and UCAVs will provide greater security than the road security provided by military units.

For carrying heavy loads, heavier vehicles with remote control are being developed. These vehicles can be used not only in internal security missions but also in classical battles by the logistics units of brigades and higher level commands. Such vehicles can be wheeled or caterpillarised to move on all types of terrain. Thus, the supply and maintenance system will not be dependent on roads.

Mines and IEDs are used extensively both in internal security operations and in recent wars. During their removal or destruction, casualties are sometimes incurred. In order to get rid of these casualties, remote-controlled engineering vehicles used in mine and IED clearance are being built. 

The ones intended to be used for the detection and destruction of mines and IEDs in narrow areas and residential areas are quite small. However, for clearing minefields in large areas, large remote-controlled earth-moving earth-moving machines equipped with mine ploughs, mine blasting devices and dozer blades are also being built.

As was painfully experienced during the trench operations and the Al Bab operation, it is very difficult to evacuate the wounded and martyrs in residential areas. In narrow streets and under fire, pulling a wounded soldier to a safe area may cause additional casualties. For this reason, armoured vehicles were mostly used in wounded evacuations.

However, armoured vehicles sometimes cannot enter narrow streets and are vulnerable to anti-tank weapons in wide streets. For this reason, the development of armoured remote-controlled vehicles that can enter anywhere and take at least one or two wounded is being focused on. 

In recent wars, many air defence systems and armoured vehicles are destroyed by UCAVs and FPV drones. This leads to many personnel casualties. In order to avoid this, armoured and caterpillar remote-controlled air defence systems are being developed.

On the other hand, remote-controlled models of light tanks and armoured combat vehicles are also being worked on. For the time being, these are being produced to protect the flanks of armoured units and to be sent forward in dangerous areas, rather than being used independently.

Remote-controlled systems and vehicles are also being developed for other areas required by armies. However, the use of a large number of remotely operated vehicles on the battlefield may cause some problems. For example, jamming by electronic warfare means may render all or most of these vehicles unusable.

In order to overcome this problem, efforts are being made to ensure that the vehicles can perform the mission by acting on their own when contact with the user is lost. This requires each vehicle to have an electronic brain and to be made self-determining through artificial intelligence installations. However, there are concerns that this may cause other problems. 

Despite some concerns and reservations, warfare all over the world is developing in a technology-oriented direction. This situation brings about a war environment in which unmanned systems are used intensively. Artificial intelligence and remote command systems are already being used in many areas. In the near future, these systems will be widely used in all land, air and naval forces.

This situation should be considered as an advantage for Turkey. Because Turkey has already experienced significant developments in some remote-controlled systems. Turkey can further develop this potential with its existing industrial infrastructure and educated young population. If this issue is prioritised in future strategic plans, Turkey can become one of the world's leading countries in the production of these systems.