Ukraine approves D-21 ground drone for military use after tests with performance beyond expectations (X @militarnyi)
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has officially approved the use of the D-21 ground drone by the Armed Forces.
Developed by FRDM GROUP, the equipment is a wheeled platform remotely controlled, designed to transport supplies and evacuate wounded soldiers. The D-21 can also operate autonomously and, if necessary, be equipped with a weapon station with a machine gun to engage enemy targets.
During two-phase tests, the D-21 demonstrated performance beyond expectations. In the first phase, it traveled 5.8 km on rugged terrain and under electronic interference, exceeding its nominal range of 5 km. In the second phase, even with only 75% battery charge, the drone completed a 18 km route carrying its maximum load of 200 kg, surpassing the autonomy expectations under full load.
The D-21 also participated in the “Long-Range UGV Challenge” competition, promoted by the Brave1 cluster. In addition to the standard version, an armed variant called D-21-11 was announced by Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, highlighting the country’s progress in developing unmanned ground defense technologies.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: X @militarnyi| This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has officially codified and approved the D-21 ground robotic system for use by the Armed Forces.https://t.co/K7bausuFAl pic.twitter.com/LQcd1RvRcR
— Militarnyi (@militarnyi) April 16, 2025
