By Rostyslav Averchuk
Lviv (EFE).- Ukrainian soldiers started using exoskeletons in frontline conditions to reduce fatigue and carry out tasks more quickly as modern technologies continue to reshape the battlefield.
The 7th Airborne Assault Corps of Ukraine’s Armed Forces is rolling out wearable devices, which augment human capabilities and ease physical strain, after successful testing by its 147th Separate Artillery Brigade in combat conditions in the Pokrovsk direction of the frontline.
“With this exoskeleton, we help the military to perform their tasks better and more efficiently, to get less tired, and to do them faster,” 30-year-old Kyrylo Titaiev, chief sergeant of the brigade’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Battery, who tested the device and observed its effect on artillery crews, told EFE.
The daily burden of artillery
Soldiers operating the unit’s French CAESAR self-propelled howitzers and other artillery systems must carry 47-kg shells dozens of meters and load them into howitzers dozens of times per day, with their daily load reaching 1,300 kg, Titaiev underlined.
The two-kilogram aluminum exoskeleton wraps around the waist and legs, supplementing the soldier’s efforts and adapting to movement patterns and terrain types within minutes through built-in AI analysis.
According to the unit, it reduces the load on leg muscles and joints, as well as the lower back, by up to 30% while its battery allows for about 17 kilometers (10 miles) of assisted walking. The device folds compactly into a suitcase-like case for transport.
“Instead of using, say, 50 shells in a day, now they can fire 70. The faster a soldier moves, the faster artillery works and the more accurate it becomes,” Titaiev said.
The increased use of drones has not diminished the importance of artillery in repelling mechanized and infantry assaults or in targeting enemy logistics. Knowing their work helps stop the Russians before they reach the infantry, who face even greater hardships, motivates artillerists to seek solutions that allow them to do their job as effectively as possible, Titaiev added.
Looking ahead to infantry use
The introduction of exoskeletons forms part of the 7th Air Assault Corps’ broader push to reduce human physical strain through engineering solutions. Other systems that could reduce the direct load on arms can also be introduced in the near future, Titaiev said.
This development is especially relevant for Ukraine’s army, where the average age of a soldier exceeds 40 according to publicly available estimates, and where intense physical demands have continued for more than four years of full-scale invasion.
“This will make work easier for people who have been wounded or injured yet still want to continue their military service,” Titaiev noted.
Artillery and logistics, which involve handling heavy loads, are far from the only areas where exoskeletons could be deployed.
Titaiev noted that the devices could help infantry soldiers who often have to walk up to 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) to their positions while carrying ammunition, equipment, and food because enemy drones make vehicle transport highly risky. Exoskeletons could reduce the load, increase speed, and allow troops to carry more weight.
However, the use of exoskeletons by infantry still faces challenges, according to 7th Corps officials, and further testing and adaptation of the devices are expected.
A separate unit of Ukraine’s defense forces, the Russian Volunteer Corps, has also been testing similar devices for potential direct combat use and indicated they would require modifications to integrate more smoothly with other soldier equipment.
Various models of exoskeletons have been tested by other militaries and are entering civilian sectors such as logistics and maintenance. The deployment by Ukrainian units represents the first cases of their use in real combat conditions.
Beyond the direct benefits for health and combat efficiency, the introduction of exoskeletons is giving soldiers a morale boost, Titaiev noted. “They could become an important element of the equipment of soldiers of the future,” he underlined. EFE
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