On 24/8, Ukraine held a historic Independence Day parade in Kiev, showcasing nearly 100 unmanned systems instead of traditional tanks, armored vehicles, or soldiers. This event marked the world's first military parade focused entirely on unmanned technology, highlighting Ukraine's innovative approach to modern warfare.

A team of nine unmanned surface vessels (USVs) moved along the Dnieper river flowing through Kiev. The multi-purpose Magura, Sea Baby, and Sargan vessels can perform reconnaissance, patrol, maritime target attacks, and launch aerial drones.

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) played a prominent role, with 30 units, including models like TerMIT, Rys, Simba, Ardal, Zmiy, and Ratel, moving along Khreshchatyk, Kiev's main street. These UGVs are designed to perform diverse missions such as reconnaissance, mine clearance, transporting ammunition, food, and equipment, evacuating casualties, providing fire support, and assisting in attacking enemy positions. Some models can carry payloads of up to 600 kg and have an operational range of tens of kilometers. The Ukrainian military reported that these UGV models have completed over 66,000 missions this year.

Unmanned surface vessels have helped Ukraine achieve significant military success in the Black Sea, where the Russian navy once held superiority. USV attacks forced the Russian Black Sea Fleet to move warships from its home port on the Crimean peninsula to Novorossiysk, about 300 km to the east.

"Tens of thousands of UGVs are performing extremely dangerous missions at the front line and have saved thousands of soldiers, but we must do more. Naval unmanned vehicles are on duty; the enemy once had a fleet, but now it is scrap metal, and we must sink more", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated at the event.

According to Ukraine, the Magura was the first USV to destroy an aerial target, having previously launched a missile to shoot down a Russian Su-30 fighter jet.

The aerial component of the parade featured 18 interceptor drones, including the P1-Sun, Litavr, and Sting models. These drones are designed to counter Geran-series unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other low-altitude UAVs, forming a new layer of Ukraine's air defense strategy that emphasizes low cost and mass production capability.

The air parade also included 27 explosive-dropping drones from the Vampire, Lasar, and Heavy Shot series, capable of hunting military personnel and equipment, destroying fortifications and bunkers, laying mines, and transporting supplies. Additionally, eight reconnaissance UAVs, Shark and LF-400, along with Mirage 2000 and F-16 fighter jets, flew over Kiev. The aerial display concluded with seven Morok and Sichen UAVs, specialized in long-range strike missions into Russian territory.

Pham Giang (Photos: Office of the President of Ukraine, AP)