Direct proof of use
Ratel Robotics describes Nurse TB as a robotic logistics complex for carrying cargo, substances, or ammunition with a 150 kg payload class, and identifies the company as a Ukrainian developer of unmanned ground robotics whose platforms are built to save Ukrainian soldiers' lives. Defender Media reported on April 8, 2026, after information from the manufacturer, that Ratel Robotics had begun production of the Nurse TB tracked UGV for logistics and remote-mining operations.
The same Defender Media report and a follow-on Oboronka/Mezha account describe Nurse TB as a 120 kg compact tracked platform able to carry up to 150 kg, including a six-TM-62 anti-tank mine load example, and configurable for ammunition and water delivery, remote mining, and stretcher-based casualty evacuation. Those sources support the Ukraine-side conflict-use row, while public reporting available as of July 2, 2026 does not identify a named Ukrainian unit, geolocated front-line incident, or individual casualty-evacuation run by Nurse TB.
Sources: Nurse TB Product Page, Defender Media Nurse TB Report, Oboronka Nurse TB Coverage
Timeline
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said on February 17, 2026 that ground robotic systems had completed more than 7,000 combat and logistics missions on the front line in January, including ammunition delivery, logistics, and casualty evacuation in high-risk areas. This official statement places Nurse TB's documented mission set inside a rapidly expanding Ukrainian ground-robotics campaign rather than a peacetime procurement track.
On April 8, 2026, Defender Media and Oboronka reported Nurse TB's production start and described the system's logistics, remote-mining, follow-me, control-range, and casualty-evacuation roles. By June 20, 2026, Business Insider reporting from Ukraine described Ratel Robotics UGVs moving from factory work to Ukrainian front-line requests for missions including cargo hauling, mine laying, casualty evacuation, FPV launch, and attacks.
Sources: Ukraine MoD Ground Robotics Missions, Defender Media Nurse TB Report, Oboronka Nurse TB Coverage, Business Insider Ratel Factory Report
Wartime role
Nurse TB belongs to the small tracked UGV class Ukraine has expanded for dangerous support routes in the full-scale phase of the war. Its documented roles center on moving supplies and munitions, reducing the need for soldiers to cross drone- and artillery-threatened ground, and carrying payloads that can shift the platform from logistics support to remote mine delivery.
The casualty-evacuation role is support rather than medical treatment: Defender Media reported that the platform can be fitted with medical stretchers so wounded personnel can be extracted while avoiding additional troop exposure. The Ratel product page does not itself describe a conflict incident; it supports the system identity, payload, range, and equipment details used to interpret the conflict reporting.
Broader Ukrainian UGV reporting supports the operational context. The Ministry of Defence described ground robots routinely entering high-risk areas for ammunition delivery, logistics, and casualty evacuation, and Defense News reported Ukraine's 2026 plan to contract 25,000 UGVs as part of a push to move front-line logistics onto robots. Business Insider's Ratel factory reporting connects Ratel's UGV production to front-line Ukrainian requests and the same mission categories attributed to Nurse TB.
Sources: Nurse TB Product Page, Defender Media Nurse TB Report, Ukraine MoD Ground Robotics Missions, Defense News UGV Procurement Report, Business Insider Ratel Factory Report
