The five-ton machine can deliver various cargoes to the front line and guard facilities
A robotic armored wheeled platform "Tor" has been created in Russia. It can transport one and a half tons of cargo over rough terrain — weapons, ammunition, supplies. The car can withstand bullets and shrapnel. Alternatively, a large-caliber machine gun can be mounted on it, then it can guard the perimeter of military or civilian facilities. Experts believe that Thor will also be able to conduct infantry support operations, patrol the area and go on the attack with tanks.
What tasks will the platform solve?
Bauman Moscow State Technical University specialists have completed the development of the robotic wheeled armored platform "Tor". As a representative of the university told Izvestia, work on it began two years ago. The device is currently being tested, after which a decision should be made to put it into trial operation.
The universal platform weighs 5 tons. It is used for the delivery of various special equipment, weapons and military equipment. The car is armored, has a fourth class of protection. The power reserve is 200 km. It can take up to one and a half tons of load on board.
— In essence, this is a mule that will carry everything you need to the designated point. If something starts exploding around, in most cases he will remain alive," a representative of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University told Izvestia.
Robotic wheeled armored platform "Tor"
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA
Another application option is the protection of facilities. A combat module with a 12.7mm machine gun can be installed on the platform. The module is equipped with target capture and tracking technology, fire can be conducted in remote control mode. Such a system can guard the perimeter of both military and important civilian facilities.
The device has a hybrid drive — an electric motor and a diesel generator.
— "Thor" has been successfully tested on rough terrain. It has an independent suspension and very high traction. Each wheel can develop a force of 800-900 kg. This allows the car to overcome steep climbs, — said the representative of the university.
Expert opinion on the Tor platform
According to expert estimates, the development potential is very good.
— A power reserve of 200 km is enough, given that there are no deep breakthroughs now, when fighters walk tens of kilometers per day, — explained military expert Yuri Lyamin. — The fact that they added protection is also not bad, because the platforms that our guys now have are often not armored. The only question is about the passability. And it must be checked during the fighting, because during the tests it is impossible to completely simulate real conditions. So, near the line of contact, everything is pitted with shell craters, which creates additional difficulties. The combat module can also help fight off saboteurs, and if you put good optics with a camera, you can fight off drones. But still, this is secondary, the main thing for him is patency and maintaining communication when exposed to electronic warfare.
Photo: TASS/Vladimir Gerdo
Image source: iz.ru
There has been talk for a long time that it is necessary to create robotic combat vehicles that could conduct infantry support operations, patrol the area and go on the attack with tanks, said military expert Dmitry Kornev.
— To do this, you need to take into account the degree of reservation, the combat capabilities of the module and the chassis, — he noted. — The degree of protection plays a huge role. If the armor can withstand hitting antipersonnel mines, then the car can be similar to a tank. Therefore, our Armed Forces are interested in the appearance of such an apparatus. But it is important that you create software to manage the platform. 200 km is, on the one hand, not much, armored vehicles usually have a range of 300-400 km. So for a technique that can be used to solve tactical tasks on the battlefield, this is not so small. And if we consider it for protection and defense, then, most likely, most of the time it will stand either in ambush or in an observation position. Therefore, there is definitely enough power reserve.
Universal ground-based drone for the front line
Earlier, Izvestia wrote that Russian developers have created an autonomous mobile platform capable of performing a variety of tasks on the line of contact.
It can be used for cargo delivery, when deploying a field cable and a network of repeaters, as well as as a kamikaze drone. Depending on the situation, the device can move both on wheels and on tracks — both are included in the kit. One of the features of the drone is an additional fiber—optic control channel, which makes the machine resistant to the effects of electronic warfare.
Photo: A-Systems press center
Image source: iz.ru
The weight of the product is about 20 kg, while it can carry up to 40 kg. This allows you to carry ammunition capable of destroying an enemy stronghold or other ground target. Another possible task of the platform is mine clearance.
Julia Leonova
