According to the Third Army Corps, the tactic was used during the second phase of the offensive operation, alongside air defense and electronic warfare measures designed to prevent russian reconnaissance drones from detecting the Ukrainian advance.
Brigadier General Andrii Biletskyi, commander of the Third Army Corps, said the corps was the first in the world to deploy ground robotic systems by air. He said heavy bomber drones were used to deliver kamikaze UGVs more than 10 kilometers behind russian lines.
Read more: Operation Vivaldi Gains Momentum as Ukraine Regains 125 Sq. Km and Liberates Several Settlements in Donetsk
Ukraine had already demonstrated the aerial delivery of ground robotic systems in combat. In August, a heavy Ukrainian drone delivered an ARK-1 ground robotic system deep behind russian lines in what was described as a new "marsupial" tactic, in which one unmanned system transports and releases another.
The Third Army Corps says the Vivaldi operation marked the first use of this approach for kamikaze UGVs over a distance of more than 10 kilometers.
According to the corps, drones and ground robotic systems move ahead of Ukrainian infantry during assault operations. During the second phase of Operation Vivaldi, Ukrainian units also used air defense and electronic warfare systems to suppress russian reconnaissance drones and prevent them from identifying the plan of the offensive.
Artillery and unmanned systems simultaneously targeted russian command posts, communications hubs, logistics facilities, crossings, and reserves, according to the corps.
The use of heavy drones as carriers for ground robots could allow Ukrainian forces to bypass terrain that would otherwise prevent UGVs from reaching their intended operating areas. However, the tactic remains subject to significant practical limitations.
Viktor Pavlov, an officer with the ground robotic systems battalion of the Third Assault Brigade, previously told RBC-Ukraine that the main constraints are the payload capacity of the carrier drone and the difficulty of safely deploying the ground robot. A carrier drone has to descend sufficiently low to release the UGV, which can expose it to terrain-related problems and potentially disrupt communications.
Pavlov therefore described the tactic as more of a targeted solution than a systematic method for now. It can be particularly useful when a ground robot needs to cross an obstacle such as a river, swamp, or dense forest that it cannot traverse on its own.
The aerial deployment took place during the second phase of Operation Vivaldi, which is being conducted by Ukraine's Third Army Corps in northern Donetsk. The corps says Ukrainian forces liberated Shandryholove and Derylove and established control over Drobysheve during the second phase, while bringing a total of more than 125 square kilometers under Ukrainian control during the first two phases of the operation.
The Third Army Corps publicly revealed Operation Vivaldi on September 15 after conducting its initial phase under an information blackout. The operation is continuing.
As Defense Express reported, Operation Vivaldi gained momentum as Ukraine regained 125 Sq. km and liberated several settlements in Donetsk region.
Read more: Ukraine Produces More Than 2,000 Bars Missile-drone per Month: What to Make of the Jet-Powered Shahed Analogue?
