The main task of the joint exercises of Russia and Belarus "WEST-2021" was the development of new forms and methods of warfare, and some samples of weapons, including attack robots, were used for the first time. This was announced by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu summing up the results of the exercises.
According to him, the exercises involved the development of new forms and methods of warfare, taking into account the peculiarities of modern local wars and armed conflicts.
Shoigu said that during the maneuvers, for the first time, a parachute battalion was landed at night under adverse weather conditions. "Twenty-one Il-76MD military transport aircraft ejected more than 30 units of new generation amphibious assault vehicles," Shoigu said.
In addition, military topographers tested the capabilities of the unified kAleidoscope software system, which made it possible to create a three-dimensional image of a virtual combat space. This made it possible to more accurately assess the situation and significantly reduce the time of decision-making by the command.
Shoigu also noted that unmanned aerial vehicles were involved in the exercises. They were used to effectively adjust the fire, as well as in the interests of reconnaissance units.
During the maneuvers, the remote disabling of a "flock" of attack unmanned aerial vehicles of a conditional enemy was successfully worked out.
The Minister stressed that the Platform-M shock robotic complexes were used for the first time at the landfills near Kaliningrad. They showed high results when performing tasks to destroy the manpower of a conditional enemy in urban conditions. At the Mulino training ground, the URAN-9 and nErekhta reconnaissance and fire support robots were used in combat formations for the first time.
Alexander Stepanov