# TALON at Ukraine: deployment

Canonical ID: `81762a11-dabe-4257-9a9e-ed41e81c5d85`

In 2014, [QinetiQ](/companies/qinetiq.md) US began sending teams to [Ukraine](/locations/ukraine.md) to train combat engineers in [TALON](/models/qinetiq-talon.md) operations. When Russia invaded in February 2022, more than 12 TALON robots were already in operation, with additional units arriving. Used for detecting and disposing of unexploded Russian ordnance (50-60% of Russian bombs remain unexploded).

## Key facts

- **Fleet size:** 12+ units
- **Role:** EOD and ordnance disposal

**Trust tier:** Catalog entry · 1 source · not yet field-verified

_Last updated: 2026-08-09_

- **Slug:** qinetiq-talon-ukraine
- **Status:** operational
- **Model:** [TALON](/models/qinetiq-talon.md) (id: `f47d4ea4-848f-4cb8-b8f6-fc99fa315056`)
- **Category:** [Defense UGV](/defense-ugv)
- **Company:** [QinetiQ](/companies/qinetiq.md) (id: `b40819d1-0a9f-4264-9a57-edc9ecaf2d35`)
- **Location:** [Ukraine](/locations/ukraine.md) (id: `7bc08a31-4d9a-48bc-86fc-f2114789d4b5`)
- **Operator:** [QinetiQ](/companies/qinetiq.md) (id: `b40819d1-0a9f-4264-9a57-edc9ecaf2d35`)
- **First seen:** 2014-01-01T00:00:00.000Z

## Verification log (0, append-only)

_No verifications recorded._

## Sources (1)

1. https://www.qinetiq.com/en-us/blogs/qinetiq-talon-robots-shipped-to-aid-ukraine

## Common questions

### What is the TALON deployment at Ukraine?

TALON, built by QinetiQ, is recorded as a deployment at Ukraine on the DEPLOY registry. QinetiQ operates the deployment directly.

### Who operates TALON at Ukraine?

QinetiQ, the manufacturer of TALON, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.

### When did the TALON deployment at Ukraine go live?

The deployment is recorded as starting January 1, 2014 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.

### Have there been incidents at the TALON deployment at Ukraine?

No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.


_API: GET /v1/robots/81762a11-dabe-4257-9a9e-ed41e81c5d85 · feeds: GET /v1/feeds?deploymentId=81762a11-dabe-4257-9a9e-ed41e81c5d85 · canonical URL: /deployments/qinetiq-talon-ukraine_