Video from the Ukrainian military's first-person drones has captivated millions, but the footage offers only a narrow view of a robotics revolution that is reshaping combined-arms warfare.

Air and ground robotic systems in a wide variety of mutually supporting roles are bringing about a true robot military, writes Jack Watling, a senior research fellow for land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute, or RUSI. His new paper traces the evolution of Ukrainian robot doctrine from simple target spotting to coordinated movements by flying and crawling robots that navigate the battlefield and fight alongside humans.

The shift was born of necessity, Watling writes.

“Political developments in Washington interrupted the provision of military–technical assistance, disrupting Ukraine’s

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