Effectiveness of an Expendable Unmanned Ground Vehicle Stalling a Mechanized Infantry Company's Primary Combat Units—A Virtual Simulation Experiment

Technological advancements have spurred the development of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and their innovative military applications and strategies. Such applications include expendable UGVs. However, public research concerning expendable military UGVs remains sparse. Particularly, the unclassified literature does not contain studies regarding their capabilities and effectiveness in combat. This study introduces a new low-cost expendable UGV called Laykka. Moreover, the study presents a virtual simulation experiment to evaluate Laykkas' operational capabilities and their impact on advancing mechanized infantry units. The experiment involved armored reserve officer students assuming the roles of infantry troops forming an attacking opposing force while staff officers controlled simulated infantry troops operating the UGVs. A total of 16 battle simulations were fought. The simulated UGVs operated by a single soldier were able to stall the advancement of the mechanized infantry company's primary combat units three times out of four and a smaller force 11 out of 12 times. The best stalling effect was observed using a mix of UGVs with different module types. These modules allowed reconnaissance, loitering mine, and anti-tank operations. The simulation experiment revealed that the UGV was an effective defensive tool due to its self-destructive capability, causing marked battle damage, disruption, and confusion to the opposing forces.