Russia Upgrades Weapons with Robotic Capabilities

Russia Upgrades Weapons with Robotic Capabilities

robotic capabilities

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Russia is upgrading its weapon systems with robotic capabilities. Advanced robotic systems would be installed on unmanned aerial vehicles to be used by Russia’s Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense (RChBD) Troops by the end of 2017, according to the Russian Defense Ministry’s press service.

According to Sputnik news service, the troops were the first to use robots within the Russian Armed Forces to handle special tasks. These included remotely controlled radiation and chemical reconnaissance systems. “These robotic systems help resolve the radiation and chemical reconnaissance-related tasks amid elevated concentrations of hazardous chemicals, and high levels of radiation, which excludes the presence of personnel,” the press service added.

A total of 22 robotic systems were developed in Russia between 2015 and 2016, including a new robot recently presented by the Central Research Institute of Robotics and Technical Cybernetics.

The robot is capable of operating in radioactive contamination zones, both in stand-alone mode and by the operator, using a remote control. It is a six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, 1.4 meters long and about 1 meter wide, weighing more than 270 kilograms. The robot’s uniqueness is that its sensors are capable of detecting radiation sources, registering their location and determining their strength.

Additionally, the robot’s circular view monitor helps to detect the source of gamma radiation. The robot can be run via a radio communication channel at a distance of up to 500 meters and by cable connection — at a distance of about 100 meters.

Two robotic systems were unveiled during a firing demonstration, Army Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleg Salyukov told Tass.com. “For the first time, there has been a live fire exercise in the course of a tactical vignette done by an infantry platoon using combat robotized hardware in the form of Soratnik and Nerekhta modular robotic systems,” he said.