The Ukrainian MAUL evacuation robot managed to evacuate a wounded soldier after triggering a mine and being hit by a drone

The Ukrainian MAUL unmanned ground vehicle, designed to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield, continues to be improved based on the real-world experience of military personnel. It was the soldiers’ feedback, rather than artificial intelligence, that formed the basis for most of the vehicle’s improvements, Defence Blog reports, as cited by UNN.

Details

According to AIDronesUA head Kostiantyn Hushcha, after combat missions, military personnel pass their observations on to engineers, who can quickly turn them into technical changes and new tests.

This primarily concerns the reliability of the running gear, the protection and securing of the wounded person, the interaction between onboard systems, and the ability to quickly repair the vehicle and return it to the front.

MAUL has already survived a mine blast and a drone strike

MAUL is an all-wheel-drive unmanned vehicle with an internal combustion engine, created specifically for evacuation missions. The wounded person is transported in an armored capsule, while the operator can monitor their condition through an internal camera. The vehicle can carry up to 200 kg and reach speeds of up to 70 km/h.

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MAUL attracted widespread attention after an operation in November 2025, when it was used to evacuate a Ukrainian soldier who had remained wounded behind Russian positions for 33 days. During the six-hour operation, the robot struck an anti-personnel mine and lost a wheel, and later withstood a direct hit from a Russian drone while still managing to deliver the soldier to medics.

MAUL production is planned to expand beyond Ukraine. AIDronesUA and Sweden’s NJORD Technology plan to manufacture 400–500 such vehicles annually in Sweden for the needs of the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine.

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