Олексій Дзюба War 7 February 2025, 09:02

“Such developments will become even smarter and more autonomous.” The story of the creation of the robotic turret “ShaBlya”, which has not yet replaced the soldier, but has somewhat simplified his life at the front

A year ago, Ukraine contracted the first robotic turret «ShaBlya» for the military. This is a bulletproof automated system for machine guns that helps soldiers fire remotely. Such developments today give the Defense Forces a certain advantage during clashes with the enemy. But «ShaBlya» might not have existed if in 2014, after the «Revolution of Dignity», a group of enthusiastic engineers had not started working on such a seemingly futuristic weapon. As it turned out, it was not a mistake. After all, after the start of the full-scale invasion, it was one of the first strike robots codified according to NATO standards.

This turret has undergone some evolution and today, as is often the case with startups, it is a completely different product than the one it was at the beginning. But the main thing is that it continues to improve and become more efficient, and the fiercely competitive market does not give time for rework. We talked with the authors of the idea, the manufacturer, government agencies and the military and tell the story of the creation of «ChaBli» — from the idea to combat use on the front.

Israeli experience

«He was a genius by nature. I remember when he was 8 years old, he repaired a VCR at a party, seeing it for the first time in his life,» recalls his brother Oleksiy about Danylo Kovzhun, who died in August 2024. Danylo easily «got fired up» by stories and easily let them go, he had no specialized IT education, he just took it and did it, says the interlocutor. And he always found interesting stories for himself.

For example, in the 90s, Ericsson launched fiber-optic networks, and Danylo worked as a translator on this project. The company awarded him a diploma for his cooperation. Then Danylo went to Israel and applied for an IT job there. The employer asked him about his diploma, and he replied that he had «only a Swedish one,» showing his diploma from Ericsson. The company was pleasantly surprised and hired him, says Oleksiy. Having gained experience in Israeli IT, Danylo returned to Ukraine and worked on television — he was a producer and second director on the set.

The experience of working in Israel, where the miltech sector is very developed due to constant wars with neighboring countries, also influenced the Ukrainian.

«He felt that anything was possible, that there was nothing to be afraid of, that there were no authorities. If a person said 's**t,' you had to tell them.»

Around 2012, Danylo became interested in the idea of automated systems. «The first idea was to install an alarm system with a machine gun at home. If a criminal gets inside, he will be shot. My father said then that the point was to prevent a robbery, not to splash blood all around. Danylo agreed and continued to „toy“ with the idea of automation,» says Oleksiy.

The engineer was helped by the fact that he knew both IT and television. «The idea was that you sit with your phone at a distance of, say, 500 meters, and your „machine“ shoots at the Russians. In 2014, my brother started volunteering, going to the „front line“. That’s how he found like-minded people and work on „ShaBleya“ began,» says Oleksiy, who is the author of the name of the robotic turret. «Only I asked without capital letters,» he adds, smiling.

The story gradually gained momentum, but the project’s investor died and development stopped, the source says. Danylo returned to directing and volunteering. And after the start of a full-scale war, he joined the army.

«If he was bored, he would abandon a project, even if it was successful. But when he was „burned up“ by an idea, he could sleep for three hours and „crap“ at work.»

Oleksiy remembers a post by his friend Danylo — Oleksandr Yabchanka — about the fact that ShaBlue was put into service and he opened a fundraiser to buy several such «devices.» «Danylo said then that the development „survived“ several iterations during its creation and it’s good that it was approved and that it exists at all,» the inventor’s brother said.

“The advantage of every Ukrainian miltech manufacturer is that we are always one step ahead.” The developers of the “ShaBlya” turret spoke about current projects

Latest development

«The „ShaBlya“ turret that we are developing today is not an update of an old project, but a completely new model that has nothing in common with the version that was created before 2022, except for the name itself,» a representative of the Roboneers company, which is the creator of the technological novelty, told dev.ua in a comment.

They emphasize that the appearance, design, internal electronics and software were developed «from scratch» in accordance with the current challenges of modern warfare. Another team of engineers, electronics and IT specialists is working on the module, using the latest technological approaches.

The first use of the remotely controlled combat module (RCBM, official name — ed.) «ShaBlya», which was created in the spring of 2022, took place in September of the same year for one of the units of the Defense Forces.

«Before the full-scale invasion, military technologies seemed like something distant — a topic for research, parades, and presentations at exhibitions. Today, they have become a matter of life and death. Ukraine has become an incubator of innovation, where solutions that change the rules of war are tested and improved every day,» Roboneers explains the importance of innovation.

«While defense technology used to be associated with large corporations and state-owned factories, it is now a field of startups, quick solutions, and horizontal connections. The war has made the technology community mobile and open.»

«ShaBlya» is one of the first robots in our Brave1 portfolio, and also, in general, one of the first strike robots that were codified according to NATO standards,» dev.ua was told by the state defense tech cluster Brave 1 .

And they add that the first 3 developments — «SaBlya 7.62», «SaBlya M240» and «SaBlya M2» — received the NATO code in September 2023. In general, the entire codification process lasted a little more than 3 months. Today, the codification procedure for such weapons takes much less time.

Roboneers emphasizes that they communicate with the military to find innovative and effective solutions together. «Our main priority is to protect the lives of the military. Human resources on the front line should be replaced by robots. So that the military does not pull the trigger, but remotely controls the armored complex that continuously shoots at the enemy,» the Ukrainian company says. Their words are confirmed by the military.

Ukrainian battalion "Da Vinci Wolves" armed with "Shabel" unmanned turrets

Combat use

«ShaBlya is the first robotic complex I have been familiar with since 2014,» says Oleksandr Yabchanka, head of the robotic systems service of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion, who is responsible for ground platforms in the unit, in a comment to dev.ua.

The interlocutor, who was a friend of Danylo Kovzhun, recalls the period after the «Revolution of Dignity», when he himself was engaged in medical reform, while his comrades and acquaintances from the «Maidan» worked on technological solutions.

«That’s how the „ShaBlya“ appeared. I had nothing to do with its development, but I was involved in its promotion. Such technology seemed promising to me, because, first of all, it made it possible to preserve the life and health of the fighter who was firing.»

The soldier says he returned to Chablis in 2023, when his unit was fighting near Bakhmut, and the enemy was covering them with artillery. «Back then, UAVs hadn’t been developed that much. I fantasized that it would be cool to sit in a dugout and have a turret in front of you, and fire from it,» he shares his memories.

Photo — Oleksandr Yabchanka and «ShaBlya»

Later, Oleksandr contacted the developers of «ChaBli» — the company Roboneers. The military opened the collection and, having assembled three technological turrets, ordered them from the company.

«We didn’t have time to use them near Bakhmut. By the time they arrived, we had already been transferred to Toretsk, where there was a fairly stable defense line. Actually, that’s where we used ShaBlue for the first time.»

After some time, Alexander was wounded and dropped out of the army for 7 months, undergoing treatment.

«The vast majority of battlefield casualties today — approximately 70% — come from UAVs. Over time, the functions that are currently performed by people on the ground, namely — logistics, evacuation, fire damage, mining/demining, surveillance — will be performed by unmanned systems. It is fire damage and surveillance that ShaBlya is engaged in,» the military says.

He adds that for now, the «Da Vinci Wolves» use the «ShaBlue» stationary. «We have it standing in position and firing. But in the process of using such weapons, there are some implementation difficulties,» says Oleksandr Yabcanka.

The turret needs to be delivered to the position, serviced, and possible malfunctions corrected in real time, because this is a new weapon, albeit technological. «These are risks and a lot of additional tasks for our comrades. But they understand that there is no alternative and robotic systems will be on the battlefield. The question is who will be the first to implement such ideas — us or the enemy. If the enemy, then it will be a disaster for us,» says the military man.

Photo — Oleksandr Yabchanka (far right) from ShaBlay

Oleksandr explains the principle of operation of the «ChaBli», which fires at the distance that the weapon allows. «If it is a turret for a PKT (Kalashnikov machine gun — ed.), then its firing range is determined by the TTX (tactical and technical characteristics — ed.) of the machine gun. If it is a turret for a Browning machine gun or, say, an MK 19 grenade launcher, then the firing range will be determined by their TTX. The task of the turret is to ensure that the firing range is not shorter.»

If we talk about turrets mounted on remote-controlled platforms, then they have «somewhat different mathematics». «It consists in how far you can drive the platform and fire from it at the distance that the TTX of the fire weapon allows. If we are talking about the „ShaBlya“ turrets, then they only have a machine gun,» explains Oleksandr Yabchanka. He says that today the line of combat contact (LCC) does not contribute to the use of turrets on the platform.

«The technological turret has interesting capabilities. For example, you can program the points at which it will shoot. You can also use a special zoom and see much more accurately than a machine gunner can with the naked eye. Most importantly, you can be in cover while your fire weapon is working,» the interlocutor tells about the principles of operation of «ChaBli».

«We have to be more successful in innovation, otherwise we will definitely lose this war. This is one of the many factors that gives us a chance to win, and I am determined to take advantage of it.»

Save a warrior’s life

In February last year, there was information that about 200 ShaBlya models were being used at the front. «For security reasons, we cannot name the exact current number, but the dynamics of the increase in the Defense Forces is quite positive,» says a representative of Roboneers. He adds that the company is currently working on improving existing module modifications and creating new ones.

The developers understand that at present, robots cannot completely replace our defenders on the front line, but they are already significantly minimizing their presence in the affected area.

«The key advantage of ground-based robotic systems is that they are able to replace people when performing a number of tasks. For example, thanks to the „ShaBlya“ turret, a soldier does not work directly behind a machine gun „at zero“, but controls it remotely from a safe place. Thus, he does not expose himself to the increased risk of being noticed by the enemy,» Brave1 states the advantage of the technology.

«There will be even more such developments and they will become even smarter and more autonomous. Speed of decision-making, accuracy, ability to operate in EW/RER conditions — that’s why these developments are becoming critically important,» Roboneers explains.

There was information that the Russians copied the Ukrainian ShaBlya turret. Yabcanka says that his unit has not yet encountered its use. «For the first time, I saw the enemy use a grenade launcher on a mobile platform in the winter of 2023-2024. Our fighters then destroyed them using FPV. I know how such technologies can create trouble on the battlefield. I hope that we will be more successful than the enemy. Now we have an advantage in creative thinking and horizontal communications. But this is just the start of the race for ground robotic systems,» the soldier adds.

To implement such ideas, on the contrary, more people are needed in the army, Oleksandr Yabchanka is sure. «If you want robots to fight instead of you, then join the army and fight with robots. They will give you a job in the army. But it will not fight instead of you for now. Moreover, for a robot to fight instead of you, you need both you and a godfather to serve it,» the military man concluded.

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