New drone-led approaches for mining operations

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BLUF: For safety reasons, Ukrainian sappers have started to use air and land drones for mining. Meanwhile, innovators have started using ground drones with optic fiber cables. In other news: Ukrainian private weapons manufacturers are operating just at a third of their capacity.

THE BIG STORY: Ukraine’s innovations in drone mining

Both Ukraine and Russia are now using hexacopters – big FPV drones with 15" frames – and ground drones for mining. 

Here is how it works and why countries had to start such experiments.

New approaches to mine laying

Ukrainians started using drones for mining in early 2023, with usage increasing over the next two years. The main reasons were the lack of designated minelaying vehicles, the need to save sappers' lives and the development of drones.

Drones primarily deploy two types of mines: anti-tank mines capable of damaging armored vehicles and various anti-personnel mines.

Video showing mining by Russian FPV drone

FPV drones can carry anti-personnel PFM-1 mines (often called a leaf, petal or butterfly mine), while heavy hexacopter operators deploy TM-62 anti-tank mines, PMN-2 anti-personnel mines, and OZM-72 anti-personnel mines, according to a Ukrainian drone operator who asked to remain anonymous due to security concerns. 

Due to the shortage of Soviet-era mines, Ukrainians developed their own analogs. For instance, the 414th Unmanned Strike Aviation Systems Brigade has developed three types of anti-tank mines based on Soviet-era designs.

Ground drones have the advantage of being able to carry a higher payload capacity than aerial ones. For example, Ukraine operates land drones that can carry up to 20 anti-tank mines with a total weight of 200 kg. 

However, the weather and terrain conditions are the main challenges for ground drones, explained Happy, a Ukrainian land drone operator from the Khartiia Brigade in the National Guard. These mine-laying drones can simply get stuck in the mud. In urban areas, the communication range is also reduced due to obstacles and buildings.

Military personnel and manufacturers highlighted key advantages of drone-based mine laying:

• Preservation of military sappers' lives;

• Creation of ambushes where the enemy least expects them;

• Increased efficiency, as one ground drone can carry 2, 4, 6, or even 20 mines, which is more than a single military engineer can take;

The disadvantages include:

• Limited operational range of ground drones, which usually up to 10 km;

• Vulnerability to electronic warfare (EW), if a drone is radio-controlled;

• Higher skill requirements for aerial drone operators: smooth flying without sharp maneuvers is essential;

• Flight time limitations for aerial drones due to additional weight. Hexacopters can fly up to 90 minutes, but operators typically don't fly when battery levels drop below 50 percent, to have a space to maneuver in case of emergency

Mines are often dropped in the gray zone - territory controlled by neither Ukrainian nor Russian forces, said Victor Shapovalov, CEO & Founder of ZMIYAR, a startup developing mining technologies. This area separates the positions of both sides and is usually uncontrolled or accessed only by sabotage groups, making it ideal for ambushes.

Shapovalov's startup is working on modernizing TM-62 anti-tank mines. They're developing a smart magnetic detonator that reacts to magnetic field changes and will respond only to metal vehicles. When a tank hits a mine, its magnetic field induces a signal in the induction coil, which is transmitted to an electronic relay, and it all starts a chain, which leads to detonation.

The developers have provided the option for manual control of the detonation. When mining behind enemy lines, the operator can manually trigger the detonation. For example, they can let 2-3 vehicles pass and then detonate the mine to disrupt the column. Providing additional options for making ambushes.

The Shapovalov’s concept includes creating a mine map resistant to electronic warfare through frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), which makes pseudo-random frequency jumps with such small data packets that they're almost impossible to detect. 

Russians might block one frequency, but the device will switch to another. The communication range will be 3-5 km, depending on the surrounding magnetic field and terrain. Magnetic fields can be affected by power lines, for example.

Traditional mining methods typically involve sappers and engineering equipment to place mines. 

If mining needs to be conducted in northern Ukraine with no active combat, they can be hidden in the ground. If mining is required in a potential offensive area, Western munitions can be used in addition to sappers' manual work. 

Specifically, there are artillery munitions for mining, such as the American 155mm shells. Cluster munitions can also be considered mining tools because the sub-munitions are smaller and can serve as mining instruments.

Russia, meanwhile, has advanced mining technologies like the Zemledeliye minelaying system. It has a system of rocket tubes, but it launches mines instead of rockets. One system carries 50 mines, and with a range of up to 15 km, it allows Russia to create minefields in minutes. 

The exact number of Zemledeliye in the Russian army is unknown. However, according to the Oryx project, which tracks losses of Russian and Ukrainian armies based on open-source data, five Zemledeliys have been destroyed.

How drones are used for mine laying

The sapper's role remains crucial. They must clear paths before friendly advances and lay mines in places where the enemy may conduct offensives. This makes sappers priority targets, said Shapovalov.

Aerial drones just have to drop the mine, and an operator doesn't need to worry about how it will fall on the ground. The mine cannot land on its edge, so it will always land upright or upside down. 

All mines have a detonator that allows the mining of enemy roads, said a developer at DRONESQUAD, which produces Fury Pro bomber drones. Usually, these drones are equipped with TM-62 anti-tank mines.

The military drone operator adds that TM-62 mines are dropped from heights of 3-20 meters, depending on the required placement precision. Operators must also monitor signal strength to prevent the drone from losing connection due to elevation changes and Russian jamming. Inexperienced drone operators typically cannot handle such tasks.

Sappers also can modify mines before deployment, said Yevhen Hnatok, an independent engineer and drone developer. For example, they can add motion sensors, remote detonation capabilities, or self-destruct timers. 

On the other hand, ground drones can deploy multiple anti-tank mines simultaneously. The operator just has to press a button to release the mines for deployment, said Boris Drozhak, founder of Rovertech, a startup producing demining and logistics drones. Typically, four to six mines are sufficient for a road about three meters wide. 

Small drones capable of carrying only one mine aren't practical for such missions, as returning four to six times to the same location can be problematic.

The overall approach depends on the terrain. The drone operator chooses which drone to use and mine density based on the terrain.

BUSINESS LUNCH TOPICS: What our reporting shows!

1. Price remains the biggest obstacle in replacing Chinese components in Ukrainian tech

China remains the biggest manufacturer of the most significant number of parts, but this is because it remains the lowest cost. This is the main difficulty of moving away from Chinese components, explained Volodymyr Kondratenko, founder of Kray, an electronics and software development company. 

He said European and U.S. components that may be used in Kray products cost many times more than Chinese ones. And Ukrainian ones remain of poor quality.

“Now, we order them entirely in China. So far, no one can produce [components] of such complexity and quality,” said Kondratenko.

He added that if China stops exporting products in the short term, this will stimulate the development of domestic companies. However, it will also sharply increase the cost of these products. 

Ukrainian developers are continuing to try to marginalize the use of Chinese components as best they can. (Read our previous coverage on their methods here). 

2. Fiber optic tech comes to ground drones

FaigleLabs has integrated optic fiber into its Bullfrog unmanned ground vehicle. This drone may be used in logistic and evacuation operations or in kamikaze mode. The cable used in Bullfrog is similar to aerial drones, so it should be resistant to grass and debris and be almost invisible. But it wasn’t tested on the battlefield yet. 

This fiber optic technology is gaining popularity in the Russian-Ukrainian war because fiber optic makes a drone resistant to EW. Its receiver , transmitter , voltage, video, and ground are hidden inside the cable (read our coverage on aerial optic fiber drone concepts here). 

The Bullfrog unmanned ground vehicle works on a Raspberry Pi computer, which processes commands and controls hardware. The drone is controlled via a joystick or keyboard and works remotely via cameras and external devices,  Chris Faigle, a Bullfrog robotic combat system developer, told Counteroffensive.Pro. 

This land drone was created for the Ukrainian army but has not been tested on battlefield conditions. Faigle hopes to test it soon.

3. Ukrainian defense manufacturers loaded their capacities only for 37 percent

Research provided by Tech Force in UA, the union of 40 private defense producers, stated that Ukrainian private defense companies produced just over 1 million units of military equipment in 2024. However, this is only 37% of the total capacity of manufacturers last year. 

The union collected data from manufacturers of 30 codified weapons models that the army needs. According to the report, in 2024, private companies were unable to fulfill their full manufacturing capacity, leaving 1.7 million drones and 1,500 EW devices unmade – goods with approximately $2 billion.

"Enterprises could produce 4,700 units of [these types of] equipment per day if state customers continuously contracted them", Tech Force in UA explained.

One of the main reasons cited is the short-sighted government contracting policy, said Kateryna Mykhalko, Director General at Tech Force in UA. For example, it's the Chinese New Year, so many Chinese parts manufacturers are not operating. 

To avoid such disruptions and to buy them in advance, Ukrainian manufacturers needed contracts signed with the government in November of last year. Manufacturers had to purchase parts using their own working capital.

ON THE MOVE: Professional movement, promotions and industry news.

Know someone in the defense tech space who has made a professional move? Drop us a line at [email protected]! 

• Ronald Oostveen has started a new position as CEO at Composite Armor Solutions Ukraine, a company specializing in cutting-edge ballistic protection solutions. He is also a CEO at H18 Defense & Intelligence Products b.v., specializing in developing UAVs.

• Ievgeniia Bespalova became the Chief Strategy Officer at Molfar, a company that conducts analytics and military investigations. She is also a Foreign Affairs Advisor at UNIT.City Innovation Park.

• Maryna Tymchenko has started a new position as Director of Partnerships and Operations at Blue Arrow, a startup developing autonomous systems for aerial drones. She is also the Chief Product Officer at Sensorama Lab, specializing in virtual and augmented reality applications for business.

30 SECOND ELEVATOR PITCH:

Aerobavovna is a Ukrainian manufacturer of tactical aerostats designed for frontline operations. Their aerostats deploy radio relays, FPV signal repeaters, and various SIGINT platforms, providing persistent airborne capabilities for hours or even days — far beyond the limits of conventional UAVs.

“We have successfully passed the codification process and are now scaling up production, while actively integrating equipment from different manufacturers” — Iurii Vysoven, CEO of Aerobavovna. They are raising $2M in this investment round to expand production and accelerate R&D.

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• Ukrainian developers have created the FT-1 unmanned aerial vehicle for training. This is a slightly smaller copy of the Shahed drone. 

• The Ministry of Defense is launching a project to scale up unmanned ground systems by increasing their production and deploying robotic units in the Armed Forces, announced Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

• Ukraine’s MoD has codified the Gimli unmanned ground vehicle system. Gimli can evacuate and transport personnel, carry ammunition, perform logistics and other important logistical and support tasks.

• Crotale anti-aircraft missile systems from France were delivered to Ukraine in a trailer-mounted version. The systems include improved radar equipment and an increased number of missiles, up to eight units.

• NATO Innovative Challenge is inviting all NATO nations to develop a product to counter glide bombs. The device should be easy to use and integrate with existing NATO systems and protocols.

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