«Ukrainian Armored Vehicles» conducted fire tests of the heavy ground robotic complex Protector with an integrated remotely controlled combat module «Tavria-12.7», turning it into a full-fledged strike platform operating without the participation of infantry on the front line.
«Ukrainian Armored Vehicles» conducted fire tests of the heavy ground robotic complex Protector with an integrated remotely controlled combat module «Tavria-12.7», turning it into a full-fledged strike platform operating without the participation of infantry on the front line.
As the specialized publication «Military» writes, the company showed a video of the tests on its Facebook page. According to General Director Vladislav Belbas, during the tests, firing was checked at different distances, both from a place and during the movement of the platform. The integration of the combat module, he emphasizes, makes the drone not just a carrier of equipment, but an independent combat unit.
The main idea of the complex is to remove people from the most dangerous positions. Protector is controlled remotely, so the operator can work from cover, while the Tavria-12.7 module works out targets at a distance. The company emphasizes that during the tests they obtained stable results both in static mode and during shooting on the move, which is important for a real battlefield.
«Tavria-12.7» is a remotely controlled turret with a 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine gun and a digital fire control system. The module is designed to observe, detect and engage ground targets, as well as low-flying aerial objects, including drones. Thanks to its optoelectronic means, it is capable of operating day and night, making it a universal tool for supporting infantry and equipment.
This is not the first project with Tavria. In 2024, Ukrainian Armored Vehicles demonstrated the Novator armored vehicle with a 14.5 mm caliber module version based on the KPVT machine gun. At that time, it was about the ability to detect targets at a distance of more than 5 km regardless of the time of day. In November 2024, the Ministry of Defense codified the Tavria combat module and allowed it to be operated in the Defense Forces.
The Protector itself was first shown in September 2024. It is a heavy unmanned platform weighing up to 4 tons with a 190 hp engine, which develops a speed of up to 60 km/h and has ballistic protection of Stanag 4569 Level 1. It is capable of taking on board up to 700 kg of payload and traveling up to 400 km without refueling. In June 2025, the Ministry of Defense officially admitted the Protector to operation in the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
The combination of a heavy ground platform with a powerful remote module opens up additional application scenarios for the Ukrainian army: from assault operations in urban areas and evacuation of the wounded to work as a mobile fire support point or a drone «hunter». If such systems go into series production, they will be able to reduce risks for assault units and strengthen the trend when the most dangerous work on the front is no longer performed by people, but by unmanned platforms.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the Ukrainian company Air3F, which develops solutions for controlling unmanned systems, reported that the VARKHAN ground robotic complex for logistics and evacuation has entered mass production.
