Ukraine is turning ordinary cars into robots instead of building them from scratch. Three units of the Armed Forces received the Kaban remote-control system, which converts vehicles into uncrewed ones, developer Drone Fight Group told Defender Media.

Ground robots have become a daily part of Ukraine's front. Ukrainian units ran 16,676 logistics and evacuation missions with them in June, up 122 percent since January, and the military has contracted more than 22,000 ground robots for 2026, nearly double the 2025 total. Most are purpose-built platforms. Kaban takes the opposite route, converting vehicles that a unit already has.

The developers say Kaban was passed to the 3rd Army Corps, the 429th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment "Akhilles", and the 49th Brigade of the Armed Forces.

The system bolts on without modification

Kaban installs on a vehicle without altering its construction and works with different models, Drone Fight Group said. It lets the operator switch between remote and manual control.

The operator navigates on a digital map, plotting routes and setting markers. Manual correction is built in for GPS spoofing cases. The system predicts its trajectory and can automatically stop the vehicle if the connection is lost.

Starlink carries the control link

The main communication channel is Starlink, and the system also supports analog video transmission and radio control, according to the developers. A vehicle can be fitted with thermal cameras if needed.

Kaban provides two-way audio and remote control of lights, infrared illumination, and searchlights, and it can pull data from the vehicle's onboard computer. Among the optional add-ons, the developers list net launchers and platforms for launching drones.

Combat testing came before the handover

Kaban is developed with support from the Brave1 cluster, and the system has already passed combat trials, according to the developers. Work continues to refine it using feedback from military units.

Ukrainian manufacturers have ranked the strike drones that Russian jamming cannot touch. The Beshket, Deadliner Q1, and Vyriy Opto drones ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively, in the July ranking of fiber-optic strike systems used by Ukraine's Defense Forces, according to Defender Media.

Fiber-optic drones are immune to the electronic warfare that defeats ordinary drones. Guided by a thin cable that unspools as they fly rather than a radio link, they cannot be jammed, which has made them one of the most important weapons on a front where both sides jam heavily.

The top drone can lie in wait for two days

The Beshket took first place for strikes. It is a drone on a 10-inch frame that reaches 90 kilometers per hour, stays up to 16 minutes aloft, and carries up to 4 kilograms of payload on eight motors, with an ambush mode that lets it wait for a target for up to 48 hours, at $2,170 on the state Brave1 Market.

The producer of the Beshket confirmed the drone's first place but declined further comment.

The runners-up are faster and cheaper

The Deadliner Q1, made by Stellarion, took second. A 10-inch drone with a 2-kilogram payload reaches 110 kilometers per hour, cruises at 60 to 70 kilometers per hour, and flies for at least 20 minutes for $1,810 on Brave1 Market. Stellarion confirmed the placement in a press release.

Third went to the Vyriy Opto 10. The 10-inch fiber-optic drone runs on a 20-kilometer cable spool, cruises at 60 kilometers per hour with a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour, flies for 21 minutes, and carries 1 kilogram, costing about $2,000 with a thermal camera.

Why these drones matter on the front

Ukraine codified 413 unmanned aerial systems in the first half of 2026. Almost all of them are Ukrainian-made. That is more than 30% above the same period in 2025 and more than 73% above the same period in 2024.

Kyiv plans to build seven million drones in 2026, roughly double its 2025 output.