Russia To Reveal New Robotic Prototype In 2014

Russia on Wednesday announced that it will introduce initial prototypes of robotic combat vehicles featuring tank-like tracked chassis and hybrid engines next year.

“It's a unique robotic vehicle … capable of performing a wide range of combat tasks, primarily including minesweeping and, in the future, direct involvement in combat action on the battlefield,” Col. Gen. Oleg Ostapenko, deputy defense minister was quoted as saying.

General Ostapenko said that the prototypes were based on foreign technologies and components, but future vehicles would feature domestic components.

The Defense Ministry had drafted a targeted program on procurement of robotic vehicles for defense purposes, which would allow Russian manufacturers to build, by 2020-2025, enough robotic vehicles to ensure Russia’s national security, he added.

He also said the creation of the so-called Military Robotics Center, which was announced in December, would be completed in 2014.