Power arcade: Military robotics

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Australian defence firm Skyborne Technologies launched the Controller-Operated Direct-Action Quadruped, a first-ever modern robotic dog that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and specialises in direct-action operations, in October.

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The AI-driven robot Spot, developed by the United States (US) company Boston Dynamics, is to be  deployed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after a partnership with the UAE-based firm Analog Studios was announced in October, as per The Robot Report.

Latvian drone company Origin Robotics showcased Blaze, an autonomous robotic drone interceptor designated to combat rapid aerial targets using radar and AI-driven computer vision, during a flight in a Latvian training area in November.  

The Courier robotic system, a Russian military ground robot designated for diverse defence functions and being used in the ongoing Ukraine war, was demonstrated in October.  

Estonian defence firm Milrem Robotics showcased its HAVOC 8×8 robotic combat vehicle at the IDEX 2025 exhibition in the UAE, in February. The next-generation hybrid UGV boasts of agility and swift manoeuvrability.

Japan selected German firm Rheinmetall’s unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) Mission Master SP for evaluation in October. The autonomous robotic system is being tested for reconnaissance, logistics, and troop assistance.  

In October, US firms Epirus and General Dynamics unveiled Leonidas Autonomous Robotic, a mobile counter-unmanned aircraft system integrating a high-power microwave platform with a tracked robot UGV.

This year, Ukraine authorised the use of the Vislyuk (meaning “donkey”) unmanned ground robotic system, which comprises an electronic warfare-resistant control technology and a fiber optic module.

The US-based company Bounce Imaging produced an advanced camera robot, the Recce360 Deep Inspection Camera, in May. This is to boost intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance against nuclear weapons. 

Ukraine formally approved the NUMO ground robotic system for use in defence units in October. The multipurpose platform can supply ammunition and weapons in conflict zones, according to Ukraine’s state-run media. 

US firm Lockheed Martin transformed a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter into the S-70UAS U-Hawk, a diverse autonomous robotic unmanned aircraft system that has a fly-by-wire system integrated with MATRIX technology, in October.

US firm DZYNE Technologies delivered numerous Grasshopper aerial cargo glider robotic vehicles to the country’s Air Force in May. Specialising in precision aerial logistics, the Grasshopper offers an affordable autonomous solution for supplying payloads.

The US Navy is in the process of acquiring the country’s firm Northrop Grumman’s Manta Ray, a robotic extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle with  autonomous and long-range capabilities, after it completed military trials.

To conduct its maiden submarine torpedo launch and recovery, the US Navy deployed Yellow Moray, an unmanned underwater robotic vehicle developed by US firm Huntington Ingalls Industries, in June. This is to boost subsea and seabed warfare abilities.

Leading US defence firm Raytheon won a $205 million modification contract from the US Navy to upgrade the MK 15 Phalanx close-in weapon system, the robotic rapid-fire gun platform to protect warships, in September.