Ukraine Rolls Out CRAB Wheeled Combat Unmanned Platform

Ukraine has developed the CRAB combat wheeled unmanned platform, available in combat and medevac variants, according to Militarnyi.

Tested in March 2024, the platform obtained certification for compliance with State Standards of Ukraine.

It was codified according to NATO standards through the BRAVE1 cluster for military technology development.

The wheel platform is presented in CRAB-M (Military) and CRAB-LS (Life Saver) variants.

A Military variant is designed for reconnaissance and strike operations. A combat module with the ability to install a PKT machine gun with 650 rounds of ammunition and RPG-7 or RPV-16 grenade launchers is attached to it. In addition, the platform can do remote mining and demining.

The platform has a combat radius of 1.5 kilometers, a range of 25 kilometers, and can operate continuously for 4 hours.

The CRAB length is 1480 mm, the width is 1080 mm, the height of the upper base is 580 mm (1250 mm with a module), and the clearance is 300 mm. The load capacity of the platform reaches 150 kilograms.

The set-up/tear-down time of the platform is 5 and 7 minutes, respectively, and its full weight of 330 kilograms makes it possible to transport it in pickups, trailers, and small trucks.

Life Saver is a modification that is designed for logistics and medical tasks. According to its technical characteristics, it almost does not differ from the combat brother: the developers have increased the dimensions and load capacity.

The total weight of the medical and logistic version is 440 kilograms, it can take on board a payload weighing up to 270 kilograms.

On board, it can accommodate two seated or three lying people. It is 2000 mm long, 1080 mm wide, 780 mm upper base height, and 300 mm clearance.

Platforms in both versions are controlled by a remote control or a special connected remote control. The operator can control the platform using FPV glasses.

Ground drones in the Defense Forces of Ukraine

Recently, Militarnyi reported that the soldiers of the 63rd separate mechanized brigade showed the combat use of a kamikaze ground drone.

A Ukrainian drone under the control of the operator attacked the positions of the Russian occupiers. The movement and combat use of a ground drone were observed by the Defense Forces military helicopter. The video showed the Russians moving in the trenches between the dugouts.

At this time, the Ukrainian wheeled drone arrives at Russian positions, stops over the shelter for infantry, and explodes.

Earlier, the same brigade showed the combat use of a ground drone for remote mining.

Then the drone drove up to the Russian positions, unloaded two anti-tank mines, and quietly turned back, after which a blow-up occurred.

The Ukrainian ground kamikaze drone Ratel S blew up a bridge in the village of Ivanovskoye in the Donetsk region to complicate the logistics of the invaders in the Bakhmut direction. The video shows the explosives-laden remote-controlled platform reaching the target and exploding, hitting the bridge’s structures.