Turrets on ground drones: air defense concepts

BLUF: Turrets on drones are another example of how Ukrainians experiment with air defense. To reduce risks to soldiers, some turrets have an AI element for target acquisition. Meanwhile: Shield AI plans to partner with Ukrainian companies to be more present in Ukraine. And Taiwan's president pledged 3 percent of GDP to defense.

THE BIG STORY: Striking drones with land drones turrets 

The biggest challenge in combating drones is finding an affordable and effective solution. 

Drones typically cost much less than anti-aircraft missiles. A Shahed kamikaze drone, for example, costs approximately $30,000, while anti-aircraft missiles can cost more than one million dollars.

A more cost-effective solution could be a ground drone equipped with a turret to engage aerial targets. A few companies are already developing this in Ukraine. This development is in addition to interceptor drones used by the Ukrainian army against Russian reconnaissance drones.

One such development was tested by the 15th Operational Brigade soldiers named after Hero of Ukraine Lieutenant Bohdan Zavada (its other name — Kara Dag). On January 12, they published a video testing a drone with a turret for engaging aerial targets. It was constructed by Dron ZP, a volunteer organization. 

The military successfully tested the turret against ground targets, said Vitalii Milovidov, a military spokesperson, in conversation with Counteroffensive.Pro. The turret integrates artificial intelligence elements into target tracking and acquisition. 

Milovidov emphasized that the main advantage of such turrets is saving soldiers' lives. This direction of innovation resembles other solutions involving aerial drones with shotguns and other interceptors (read our previous coverage here).

This type of development is particularly relevant considering the rise of fiber optic FPV drones, which are essentially immune to electronic warfare (read our analysis of fiber optic FPV drones here). 

Therefore, physical destruction remains the primary option for combating them. 

The turret system is based on the 12.7mm NSV ‘Utyos’ machine gun, said Milovidov.

 Turrets on drones are designed to fight two target types:

• Small drones like FPV and Mavic type;

• Larger drones like the Shahed 131/136 kamikaze drone 

Challenges in shooting down drones using turrets:

From a technological perspective, the Dron ZP turret has to improve stabilization. However, there are other challenges related to the turret and the targets themselves. 

For example, FPV drones can reach speeds of over 120 km/h, so, their speed and maneuverability are the main challenges. Shahed-type drones have a similar speed but are much bigger (and easier to hit). 

The other challenges are:

• timely detection;

• target acquisition; and

• flight height of the target. 

For timely detection, land drones will use machine vision to detect and aim at targets, said one of the developers at UGV Robotics. 

For the last six months, they've been developing a drone with a 7.62mm machine gun to compete with FPV drones and Mavic. The project is in the final stages, and the product is being refined based on field testing.

"We need to minimize the time between detection and shooting down the quadcopter," explained the developer. 

Developers from DevDroid and UGV Robotics are working on their version of machine vision, which would limit the operator's role to firing. Target acquisition and tracking should be automatic, and soldiers can observe from a safe place.

Currently, UGV Robotics drones can detect quadcopters and FPV drones at distances up to 250-300 meters. This means that the turret needs to be positioned near defensive positions. However, due to the small size of these drones, detection at greater distances is impossible.

Height is the following problem. Reconnaissance drones (like the Orlan) fly at altitudes above 2 km, making it almost impossible to shoot them down with a turret. For example, the M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun has a range of up to 2 km, and the ‘Utyos’ machine gun — even less, 1.5 km for aerial targets. 

Thus, turret ground drones are most suitable for use against Shahed kamikaze drones, which fly lower to avoid radar detection.

Another issue is the ability to detect targets. Theoretically, developers may integrate a radar station on a land drone to allow independent target detection. However, this could significantly increase the drone's size and weight, thus reducing its mobility advantage. It also increases the price substantially.

On the other hand, land drone operators could use information from electronic reconnaissance units that can detect enemy drones. This takes time, as does the route to the warzone, where the drone can be shot down. 

An alternative could be a camera with thermal imaging capability mounted on the drone, emphasized Danylo Petrov, software developer at DevDroid. But the camera would be expensive — it needs to have a high bitrate (a high quality of the image) to distinguish small targets. Therefore, the startup DevDroid plans to develop a turret to engage larger targets like aircraft and helicopters. These are easier to detect, track, and hit, said Petrov. 

The niche turrets could fill in anti-drone defense

Drones with onboard turrets could create a new air defense niche between mobile fire groups, stationary air defense positions, and soldiers with shotguns. 

Usage scenarios for land drones with turrets could include:

• Stationary placement near critical infrastructure;

• Mobile deployment near important objects;

• Stationary placement near the frontline, if the situation is more stable.

There are other challenges to these land drones, such as gun rotation speed and operator skills.

“Everything depends on the operator's skills. As service members, we're all obligated to keep up with the times and know the technical specifications of our weapons and enemy equipment to counter them effectively,” concluded Milovidov from the Kara Dag brigade.

A turret on a ground drone would create a separate niche in air defense that would not compete with mobile fire groups or other types of air defense systems. Milovidov emphasized that all these ideas need more testing on the battlefield. 

BUSINESS LUNCH TOPICS: What our reporting shows!

1. Taiwan president pledges 3 percent GDP on defense: 

President Lai Ching-te said that in the face of Communist China’s threats toward the island nation, his government would seek to spend at least three percent of GDP on military spending. Taiwan also aims to establish itself as a critical part of the “democratic supply chain,” especially as it comes to semiconductors. 

The project comes as world trade is beginning to bifurcate more towards a democratic chain and an autocratic one. Lai made these comments to kick off the Halifax security forum in Taipei this past week.

2. New details on the features of drone-missile Trembita

Ukrainian design bureau Pars, which produces Trebmita drones, has revealed new information about their drones for the first time. There are two types of Trembita: the regular drone with a 20-kilogram warhead and a cheaper version with a smaller warhead. Dozens of them can be launched simultaneously to overwhelm Russian air defense. 

Features of missile:

• Range – more than 150 km;

• Speed – more than 350 km/h;

• Warhead – thermobaric or high explosive.

It’s always about finding a balance between the range and size of the warhead, said one of the developers of Trembita drone missiles. He added that the production line is decentralized across Ukraine.

Ukrainians have already tested these drones on the battlefield. Usually, operators launch dozens of them to overwhelm Russian defense. After that, much bigger cruise missiles, such as ATACMS or Storm Shadow, can be launched.

3. Shield AI will expand its presence in Ukraine

AUS-based Shield AI company that produces V-BAT drones plans to partner with Ukrainian companies to establish a more permanent presence in manufacturing and assembly. Now they have an R&D office and training facility, James Lythgoe, a country manager, told Counteroffensive.Pro. 

In June 2024 Shield AI gifted four of its V-BAT drones to Ukraine for tests in actual combat conditions. All of them are still operable, said Lythgoe. Now, Ukrainian soldiers from Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) are training to operate with V-BAT. 

“They [USF] provided some of the best pilots and crews from the country. They’re learning the system very quickly,” said Lythgoe. New supplied drones were parts of the U.S. or European aid packages. 

4. Ukraine’s MoD launching DOT-Chain Defence System to improve drone procurement

Ukrainian drone procurement will start work based on the DOT-Chain IT system. This was announced by Arsen Zhumadilov, interim head of the Defenсe Procurement Agency (supplying lethal equipment for the Ukrainian army), on February 20. 

The DOT-Chain system was introduced in September 2024 to streamline and accelerate the military's supply process. Firstly, it was integrated into the State Logistics Operator (non-lethal supplier for the army). Previously, it could take up to two months for goods to be delivered, but now it has been reduced to one-quarter of that time due to digitization. 

Changes for drone procurement include:

• Military units will be able to choose the munitions they need. The delivery time will be reduced from months to a few weeks;

• Manufacturers will be able to scale up production capacity based on verified information in the system;

• New rules to simulate competition and transparency of the procurement process, which will be published later.

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]! 

• Emil Knutsson unveiled and launched the AegisX startup, which provides counter-UAV solutions to counter Shahed drones. He is also a researcher at the Institute for Robotic Warfare.

• Twist Robotics, a company developing robotized systems with embedded AI, hiring a specialist to work with government customers. 

• Vladyslav Berehovyi, an independent business developer and advisor, started a new position as Founder of VETERANLINK, which helps Ukrainian veterans find jobs in civilian life.

30 SECOND ELEVATOR PITCH:

Ukrainian-Estonian startup BaBayte develops BabAI, an AI-powered drone defense system that detects, tracks, and neutralizes enemy wing-type UAVs. Its main goal is to protect high-value drones from cheap interceptors.

BabAI operates in all weather conditions, integrating multi-sensor fusion, deep learning, and predictive analytics to secure critical missions.

“Our system enables drones to identify threats, calculate interception risks, and execute defensive actions in real-time. This capability is essential for modern battlefields, where UAV survivability is a game-changer,” — explains Roman Karpenko, CEO of BaBayte LLC.

Now, the company is seeking $1,200,000 in investment to scale production, enhance AI capabilities, and expand integration with UAV manufacturers.

MUST READS:

• A Germany-based startup, ARX Robotics, opened an office in Ukraine and joined Diia.City, a special tax platform. It also plans to localize the production of ground robotics systems in Ukraine.

• Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) conducted a special operation in Russia that led to dozens of explosion cases inside goggles for FPV drones. Specialists manage to replace equipment inside the goggles with a remote detonation function, reports Suspilne.

• Drone manufacturer DeViRo has presented the kamikaze drone Bulava. It has a 3.6 kg warhead and different payload types. Its design is similar to the Russian Lancet loitering munition.

• U.S. company Neros has won a contract to deliver 6,000 FPV drones to Ukraine over six months. This is the highest amount for any U.S. producer, Forbes claimed.

• Russians have integrated the anti-tank missile system Kornet on their land drone Varan.

• Ukraine produced 154 self-propelled artillery Bohdana in 2024, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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