Russia moving towards an increasingly automated arsenal, with new robots being tested

DURING tests outside Moscow, a military robot “outperformed” manned tanks, proving Russia is shifting towards an increasingly automated arsenal.

AT PROVING grounds outside Moscow, a Russian military colonel puts a deadly new robot through a series of exercises.

Not only was the tanklike robot able to complete required tasks, it also “outperformed” manned tanks attempting the same manoeuvres.

Known as the Nerehta, the robot is capable of carrying a 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine gun or an AG-30M grenade launcher.

Colonel Oleg Pomazuev wouldn’t say which manned platforms were outperformed, but did hint that the Kremlin was shifting towards an increasingly automated arsenal.

“In the Armed Forces new robots come, they perform the tasks of reconnaissance, de-mining, firefighting,” he told Russian site Military Review.
“In the future, in addition to these, the tasks of shock, assault will also be decided.”

Associate research analyst with the Center for Naval Analyses’ International Affairs Group Samuel Bendett said Russians are testing a wide variety of Unmanned Ground Vehicles including small IED-disposal robots and larger armed models.

“They have also been stating for a while that their modernisation and state armaments program will include hi-tech and unmanned systems,” he told Defense One.

He added that Russia also had a larger semi-autonomous tank with a remotely operated turret, which has been dubbed the T-14.

Chief of staff of the United States Army General Mark Milley said America was also exploring the benefits of autonomy and robotic battle systems.

“We are in a period of time, historically, where you are getting a convergence of a wide variety of technologies. We are at the leading edge of that,” he said.

“In combination, I guarantee that they are changing and will change the fundamental character of war.

“You have a lot of changes in mechanical engineering, in robotics. So autonomous systems, or semi-autonomous, they are already here. They have arrived. They have not proliferated in wide use, yet. They will be, very, very shortly. Within a matter of years, you will see widespread use of robots.”