The autonomy of unmanned wheeled and tracked platforms is somewhat lower than that of their flying and floating counterparts due to technological aspects and software deficiencies. But there is no doubt that as AI develops, the autonomy of ground platforms will grow, as will their role in combat operations.
In Jewish mythology, there is a myth about a ground–based "drone" - a Golem designed to perform heavy and dangerous work and security service. It is an inanimate creature made of clay, which even has a "control unit" – a piece of parchment with a mystical text inserted into its mouth. That is, even ancient people dreamed of a magical or mechanical "proxy" that would perform tasks involving deadly risk, primarily military ones.
History knows of many attempts to create remotely controlled combat vehicles, but it was only at the beginning of the twentieth century that their practical application took place. During the First World War, the French company Schneider produced several hundred Crocodile Type "land torpedoes", controlled by wires and designed to undermine enemy defenses. But the land–based "drones" of the Second World War became much more famous - the German unmanned B-IV tankettes, Goliath self-propelled mines and the Soviet ET-1-672 teletorpedoes. All these devices were designed to be destroyed by blowing up fortifications, bridges, minefields and heavy enemy tanks. In addition, B-IV tankettes were used for reconnaissance of enemy defenses and landscapes. Due to technical imperfections, logistical difficulties and lack of production capacity, land-based "drones" were not developed at that time, and the idea itself proved to be in demand much later.
Unmanned ground vehicles (BNTS), which have already proved themselves in many peaceful industries and even visited the Moon (Lunokhod-1), returned to the army as drones for mine clearance. For example, the number of sapper robots in the US Armed Forces used in Iraq increased from 150 units in 2004 to 5,000 in 2005. According to the Pentagon, by the end of 2005, they had defused more than 1,000 different explosive devices. After evaluating the effectiveness of these devices, the US military had purchased 7,000 such BNTS by 2013. Moreover, during the missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, they lost about 750 vehicles.
The Russian engineering forces are armed with a whole galaxy of different sapper drones, ranging from the ultra-compact Scarab (355x348x155 mm, less than 5.5 kg), capable of searching for explosive devices and ripping off tripwires, to the Passage-1 robotic mine clearance complex (RTK) created on the basis of the tank. There are several drones with manipulators, for example, the Cobra 1600 or Pitbull, which can even dismantle an explosive object or install an overhead charge on it. The Uran-6 RTK became widely known, having been comprehensively tested in Syria and confirmed its reputation already in its own country.
It is worth noting that BNTS was also used by our opponents in the Middle East, the jihadist gangs, but it was in the form of "land torpedoes" to undermine the strongholds of the Syrian government forces. As a rule, old armored vehicles such as a multi-purpose light armored tractor (MTLB) and a primitive control unit were used as a carrier. However, more often than not, terrorists put a suicide bomber in a car.
In the conditions of modern warfare, when the sky is literally filled with strike and reconnaissance drones, logistics on the frontline and in the front line sometimes becomes extremely dangerous. The delivery of food and ammunition, the evacuation of the wounded and dead – all this involves a huge risk, which can be reduced by using BNTS.
They can be compared to radio–controlled children's cars, with the difference that ground-based drones use a more advanced communication system and chassis, as well as a surveillance camera that allows you to control the platform when it is out of sight.
In 2005, Lockheed Martin proposed the Squad Mission Support System (SMSS), a remote–controlled cargo platform based on the Jiger six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle with a payload capacity of up to 700 kg, designed to transport equipment and ammunition for soldiers on foot. An experienced batch was sent to Afghanistan and received the best marks. In 2014, the concern already offered a tactical reconnaissance complex based on a cargo platform supplemented by a UAV.
One of the main problems of the above-mentioned German self-propelled mines and tankettes of the Second World War was their low cross-country ability, but in modern BNTS this problem is solved mainly due to their two-component design, which makes it easy to overcome soil irregularities even when using a wheeled undercarriage.
Both Russian troops and our opponent use both serial BNTS, for example, the Russian "Courier" or the Estonian-made THeMIS ground drone widely used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as small-scale samples and artisanal devices. Most land-based drones today are trying to be created as a universal platform capable of performing various tasks. For example, the Courier, in addition to solving logistical problems, is capable of mining the area with TM-62 mines, setting up a smoke screen, and carrying various weapons – a heavy machine gun, an ATGM, or an AGS. And the aforementioned THeMIS with Javelin guns mounted on them fell into the hands of our fighters.
But, in addition to modular systems, work is underway to create and implement purely combat drones capable of performing the function of armored vehicles in combat. The Russian ground forces already have the Uran-9 multifunctional combat robotic system. Externally, it looks like a scaled–down copy of the tank - its length is about 5 m, width 2.5 m, weight from 10 to 12 tons, depending on the configuration. The combat group includes 4 combat drones, trailers for their transportation and a special mobile control center. The control range of the Uranami-9 is up to 3 km, and each drone can act as a repeater, providing additional range to other combat robots. However, we are talking about the ideal conditions of a flat field. In the conditions of urban combat, which was supposed to be the main element of this drone, the actual communication distance, of course, is much smaller. The Uran-9 power plant is a hybrid, the main one is an electric motor, and as the batteries need to be recharged, the YaMZ 5347-16 diesel engine turns on.
The Uranus is armed with a 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon and a 7.62mm machine gun paired with it. The drone also carries 4 Ataka anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), in addition, it can be equipped with 6 to 12 Bumblebee-M rocket-propelled flamethrowers with thermobaric projectiles. The fire control system has a multi-channel sight that includes a thermal imager, and there is an automatic target tracking function. The machine is equipped with radiation sensors and a smoke screen system.
However, the system's combat debut in Syria was anything but triumphant. The design turned out to be "crude". The report of the Third Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation pointed out the numerous shortcomings of Uran-9. In particular, insufficient range and bandwidth of communication channels were noted, which is why episodes of equipment getting out of control were noted at a distance of 300-500 m from the control center. And this is despite the fact that the enemy did not use electronic warfare. In addition to the obvious flaws, at least two design problems were identified. Firstly, the drone lacked a stabilization system, which meant it could only fire from a standstill. Secondly, the bulletproof protection of the robot was insufficient. Although, as stated, some of the identified shortcomings have been eliminated, the use of Uran-9 in its production cannot be called successful either. The weak security of the device and, importantly, the high cost do not meet the requirements for a massive ground-based drone designed for direct fire support of assault infantry and combat against enemy equipment in conditions of saturation with anti-tank weapons, including FPV drones.
But the experience gained, including negative ones, is understood and forms the basis for new developments. Thus, taking into account the experience of military operations in Syria and its military district, Uralvagonzavod has created the Sturm heavy assault robotic complex based on the T-72/T-90 tank.
Externally, the Sturm TSHRK differs from a conventional tank by the shortened barrel of the 125-mm D-414 cannon, which is more convenient for operations in the confined space of urban battles. It is also equipped with a bulldozer blade for clearing obstacles. Special attention is paid to the survivability of the tank drone. Equipped with a complex of protection systems – dynamic armor and active protection complex (KAZ), it is claimed to be able to withstand up to 15 hits from an anti-tank grenade launcher and FPV drones. Since the Sturm is not designed for long marches, old tanks with almost exhausted resources can be used to create it, which provides significant savings and reduces the cost of construction. The control of the TSHRK is carried out by an operator located in a protected control vehicle created on a tank chassis. One mobile command post can control a platoon of combat vehicles within a 3 km radius. Different versions of the combat vehicle are possible – with 30 mm automatic cannons and Bumblebee flame throwers or with guides for 16 unguided 220 mm thermobaric rockets used in the TOS-1A system.
Although work on the Sturm began back in 2018, its design, unlike the Uran-9 and similar complexes, includes improvements prompted by combat experience to increase survivability and flexibility on the battlefield. However, it is premature to talk about the success of the complex before the combat tests.
It should be noted that the autonomy of unmanned wheeled and tracked platforms is somewhat lower than that of their flying and floating counterparts due to technological aspects and software deficiencies. But there is no doubt that as AI develops, the autonomy of ground-based platforms will grow, as will their role in combat operations.
Boris Jerelievsky
