Unmanned and Autonomous: Czech Republic Develops Autonomous HORNET Ground Drone

Czech defense company LPP Holding has developed a lightweight autonomous ground drone, HORNET, designed to support military logistics and field operations.

According to the company, HORNET is primarily intended for tasks such as ammunition delivery and casualty evacuation, but can also be adapted for reconnaissance and emergency response.

The drone features a fully autonomous control system capable of operating in unfamiliar environments.

It uses LiDAR, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), and environment segmentation to map surroundings, calculate optimal routes, and avoid obstacles.

The onboard inertial navigation system allows the drone to function effectively even in GPS-denied areas.

“We have developed a fully autonomous vehicle capable of navigating in an unknown environment. HORNET makes decisions independently and moves without operator intervention,” LPP Holding stated.

The system supports multiple navigation modes, including waypoint following, “Follow Me,” and “Return to Base.”

The drone can automatically adapt to route changes and dynamically avoid obstacles in real time.

HORNET may eventually be supplied to the Ukrainian Defense Forces. LPP Holding recently tested its MTS family of AI-guided strike drones in Ukraine, suggesting a potential path for integrating ground-based systems like HORNET into Ukrainian operations.

According to its developers, one of the HORNET’s key features is its ability to operate autonomously, even under conditions of heavy electronic warfare.