Inguar Defence unveils Inguar-3, protected mobility for drone crews

Ukraine’s Inguar Defence has released details of the Inguar-3, a protected mobility platform for UAV crews operating in Ukraine. The kill zone in the country is extensive, making travel behind the frontlines very dangerous for the civilian vehicles that are often used. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on February 12, 2026. 

Inguar Defence has released details of its new Inguar-3 protected pick-up in a series of online posts and via email to Calibre Defence. The new variant builds on the company’s Inguar mine resistant ambush protected platform, using the same chassis and suspension. 

“Those who operate in the sky must be protected on the ground,” the February 11 post on LinkedIn states. It adds that the Inguar-3 pickup has been developed in close coordination with Ukraine’s Lasar’s Group, a specialist drone unit. 

Lasar’s Group sits in Ukraine’s National Guard and has contributed to the destruction of large quantities of Russian equipment. It has also developed tactics and techniques for the use of heavy bomber drones, which are replicated by others on the front. 

However, like all drone crews, they face the difficult problem of travelling to and from the front line to deploy their drones. This involves navigating the Russian kill zone, which may extend as far as 30 or 50 km behind the line of contact. For several reasons, soldiers mainly use civilian vehicles to travel those routes, leaving them unprotected.

As one Ukrainian CTO told Calibre Defence, drivers try not to go first, and they drive very fast. But Russian drone units like the Rubicon Centre are watching these routes and tasked to intercept vehicles using them. Some MRAPs and armoured vehicles are used, but they are increasingly hard to find and not specialised for drone crews – hence Inguar’s development. 

Tech profile: Inguar-3 UAV crew vehicle

“The focus of this configuration is to keep drone crews protected and mobile while carrying mission equipment,” a representative of Inguar Defence explained via email. For this purpose, the rear cargo area is optimised for UAVs and their equipment and there is provision for charging electronics from the vehicle’s power supply. Alongside this it has a range of ergonomic improvements to help the crews quickly exit the vehicle and operate from it. Despite being set up for drone crews, the vehicle can be reconfigured for different roles including command and control or as a medical vehicle. Protection comes in the form of a V-shaped belly and ballistic protection all around the front crew capsule that is designed for assault rifles and sniper rifles firing armour piercing ammunition. 

Inguar-3 specifications:

• Configuration: 4×4 Pickup
• Unladen weight: 11,900 kg
• GVW: up to 14,500 kg
• Protection level: Ballistic STANAG 4569 Level 3 and Mine 3a/3b
• Engine: 6-cyl diesel, 355 hp, 1,500 Nm
• Transmission: Automatic 6+1
• Driveline: 4×4 with front, rear & centre diff locks
• Suspension: Fully independent
• Max speed: 120 km/h
• Fuel tank/range: 300 litres, and a range of 777+ km
• Dimensions (L × W × H): 6,555 × 2,332 × 2,590 mm
• Ground clearance: 430 mm

Calibre comment: The role of protected mobility in the age of drones

At a certain point in the Ukraine war, when anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) were more common than drones, protected mobility was still important, but could be dramatically overmatched. Some reports from medical personnel indicate that fatalities in a lightly protected vehicle would exceed 70% from an ATGM hit. However, ATGMs appear to be less common than drones, which generally carry smaller warheads. And mines, especially Russia’s remotely laid mines, remain a big problem for Ukraine. So, providing protected mobility like the Inguar-3 for drone crews is an important provision. Especially as the expertise they carry is often hard to replace. 

If you would like to read more on the drone war in Ukraine, as well as the fascinating interview with the CTO of a Ukrainian defence tech company, check out the links below. 

• Calibre interview: Kara Dag Technologies unpacks the drone war in Ukraine
• Russian FPV drone tactics – Calibre Defence 
• Russia’s drone barriers aim to protect logistics routes – Calibre Defence 
• Artillery vs strike drones – Calibre Defence

The lead image shows the Inguar-3 in its protected pick-up configuration. Credit: Inguar Defence.