Russia's Rostec Develops Tech for Creating Combat Robots From Any Heavy Armor, Deputy CEO Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian state-owned defense corporation Rostec has developed a technology for the creation of combat robots from any military vehicle, First Deputy CEO Vladimir Artyakov told Sputnik.

"Rostec has been working on the robotization and automation of various tracked and wheeled combat vehicles for a long time. Moreover, we are applying the same principle - we are equipping already existing serial vehicles with a set of robotization equipment, which significantly reduces costs and makes the project promising for the Russian army," Artyakov said.

The deputy CEO noted that a combat robot has been created based on Russia's infantry fighting vehicle BMP-3 with a combat module Sinitsa. The new vehicle is capable of driving and firing at targets without a crew, as the roles of the driver and shooter are robotized. A sample robot will be demonstrated at the 8th international military-technical forum Army-2022, which will take place at several venues in the Moscow Region from August 15-21.

Given the distinctive features of the vehicle, it can be used in the most dangerous areas. For example, the robot system can fight in a complex urban area or lead a combat column, or be used for fire support of motorized infantry units, Artyakov said.

A representative of All-Russian Scientific-Research Institute Signal told Sputnik earlier that the robotization is carried out by installing electric drives on human-operated controls. Thus, an armored vehicle can be used as both a manned or unmanned combat machine.