Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV)
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VisionWave Holdings has launched a new Uncrewed Ground Vehicle (UGV) designed to navigate autonomously through contested, electronic warfare environments without relying on active emissions or GPS links.
Unveiled at Eurosatory 2026, the vehicle, known as VARAN, was developed in the UK in response to recent operational lessons from Ukraine. While conventional ground robotics often depend on active radar, laser scanning, or continuous radio communications, this platform utilizes cameras, thermal imaging, and 3D vision to sense its surroundings passively. By processing route planning entirely onboard, it can operate inside hostile territory without revealing its position or that of its operators.
The system treats GPS-denied and jammed conditions as the standard operating environment. To handle diverse terrain automatically, the platform features a height-adjustable chassis with extendable wheel arms. It can travel at speeds up to 45 mph (72 km/h) across flat ground and automatically raise its stance to clear water, rubble, and urban obstacles without human intervention. Each wheel is driven independently to allow the vehicle to pivot on the spot, and it can maintain mobility even if a wheel arm sustains damage.
Designed as a multi-role platform, the chassis can carry a 400 kg payload and tow more than 1,000 kg. Field-interchangeable payload modules allow operators to rapidly re-task the platform for missions including Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition & Reconnaissance (ISTAR), air defence, counter uncrewed aerial systems, casualty evacuation, logistics, route clearance, force protection, electronic warfare support, and forward observation.
Jeremy Williman, the British inventor of VARAN and Managing Director of VisionWave UK and Europe, commented, “Traditional ground robots are too expensive, too complex, and too fragile to field at the scale modern operations demand. We started from the operator in the field, not the engineer in the depot. The result is a platform that keeps working when the link drops, the GPS dies, or the ground gets trickier.”
Built using common modular parts, backup motors, and integrated health monitoring, the vehicle is designed for field repairs well away from specialized support infrastructure. Its open design allows nations to integrate proprietary sensors, encryption, and payloads to establish sovereign manufacturing and support capability through local partners. The platform serves as the flagship for VisionWave’s broader STRATUM ecosystem, a connected family of air and ground platforms sharing common components, training protocols, and support structures.
Visit VisionWave at Eurosatory 2026, Booth Pe5a Ext6.
