Robots don’t feel pain, they just shoot back – drones have turned the war in Ukraine into a scene from Terminator

If you have ever watched any of the Terminator movies, you probably remember how the Terminator robots—drones, or whatever you want to call them—can keep going even when shot straight in the chest.

The movies are partially set in a post-apocalyptic future, and most of us would probably prefer the bulletproof humanoid robots to stay there—but robots are redefining what warfare looks like in the 21st century.

And the reason is the war in Ukraine.

A new arsenal

According to The Guardian, Ukraine has sharply expanded its use of unmanned ground vehicles since spring 2024.

These machines vary widely in design. Some resemble small tracked carriers; others use wheels and antenna systems, while certain models are built to deploy anti-tank mines.

“This is what modern warfare looks like. Armies everywhere will have to robotize,” Viktor Pavlov, a lieutenant in Ukraine’s 3rd Army Corps, told the outlet.

Ukraine’s expertise in drone technology is also gaining international attention. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently signed long-term defense agreements with Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, focused on supplying interceptor systems.

Frontline reality

On the battlefield, operators describe a stark shift in how combat feels. Machines now approach positions that were once held or attacked by soldiers.

A drone operator with the 25th Airborne Brigade, codename “Bambi,” told The Guardian that the situation on the front line is now like something from the post-apocalyptic scenes of Terminator.

He explains that the “classic” way of thinking about shooting—where a person falls when he or she is shot in the chest—is no longer reality, as robots do not feel pain and, after being shot, simply shoot back.

World record drone interception

With the rapid development in drone warfare, new records are being set almost daily.

On April 4, the drone manufacturer Wild Hornets reported that Ukrainian defenders had set a world record by using a STING interceptor drone to take out two Russian Shahed-style drones at a distance of 500 km.

The reports have not been independently verified, but if true, the strikes—two Shaheds were taken out—represent a new world record in counter-drone warfare.

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More than 10 interceptors for the price of one Shahed

According to Business Insider, the interceptor drones are 3D-printed and cost roughly $2,000 to produce.

That might sound expensive considering they are single-use, but compared to the fact that Russian Shahed-style drones are estimated to cost at least $20,000 to produce, Wild Hornets can manufacture at least ten interceptor drones for the same amount of money Russia spends on producing one Shahed-style drone.

And compared to Patriot missiles, which cost $4 million per missile, the interceptor drones are a very good investment.

Sources: The Guardian, United24Media, Business Insider, post on X by Wild Hornets

This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, who may have used AI in the preparation