Germany funds 100 Humvee-sized heavy robots for Ukraine

Ukraine’s National Guard just started fielding a robot roughly the size of a Humvee, built to haul ammunition into combat zones so soldiers don’t have to.

Four units of Ukraine’s National Guard have received the first batch of Protector ground robotic complexes, part of a 100-unit contract funded by the German government, the National Guard said. Manufacturer Ukrainian Armor confirmed on X that the first 10 vehicles have already been produced and delivered.

This isn’t a small scout drone rolling on toy-sized wheels. The Protector is one of Ukraine’s largest unmanned ground vehicles, built on a diesel off-road chassis and weighing up to 4,000 kilograms (8,818 pounds), roughly in the weight class of a Humvee. It measures more than five meters (16.6 feet) long and stands nearly two meters (6.5 feet) wide, powered by a 190-horsepower engine.

Ukrainian Armor lists the payload capacity for the version supplied to the National Guard at 1,480 kilograms (3,263 pounds), one of the highest figures among current robotic logistics platforms, and higher than the 700-kilogram rating listed for earlier Protector configurations sold through Ukraine’s Brave1 Market platform, where the vehicle has been listed at $90,000. The National Guard version can also tow a trailer weighing up to 4 tonnes (4.4 tons), adding even more cargo capacity per trip. Soldiers from a separate Ukrainian brigade using the Protector have reported hauling nearly a metric ton of supplies in a single run, enough to resupply a frontline unit for roughly a week.

“Our logistics UGV has already proven itself well in military units subordinate to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine,” said Vladyslav Belbas, general director of Ukrainian Armor. “Based on positive feedback from military personnel and understanding the need to protect people at the front, partners have contracted 100 of our complexes for the National Guard of Ukraine. Robotizing logistics allows important tasks to be carried out without unnecessary risk to personnel.”

The Protector’s core job is to keep soldiers away from the most dangerous stretch of road on the battlefield, the final approach into frontline positions. Beyond carrying ammunition, food, fuel and engineering supplies, the vehicle can evacuate wounded soldiers, removing them from combat zones without putting a driver at risk. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense codified the Protector in June 2025, and the vehicle entered serial production within two months. Depending on the configuration ordered, the platform can also carry electronic warfare equipment, a drone launch catapult, or remote weapon modules, including a version fitted with a 12.7mm Browning M2 machine gun known as the Tavria-12.7.

A Protector is already in frontline use with a separate National Guard artillery brigade and is set to be deployed to the Dobropillia sector, according to the National Guard.

“The complex has already proven itself well in our brigade,” said Sgt. Yevhen Kocherhin of that artillery brigade. “I especially want to note the sensitivity and smoothness of control in conditions far from ideal. The power, speed and payload capacity speak for themselves. For our artillery brigade, one of the key tasks is transporting heavy ammunition, and this is exactly where the Protector can significantly reduce risks to personnel.”

The vehicle’s size hasn’t made it invincible. Protector units operated by other Ukrainian formations, including the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade “Achilles,” have previously survived FPV drone strikes mid-mission and still completed their deliveries, though other units have been damaged beyond recovery by mines while returning from resupply runs.

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