Russia turns old tank chassis into formidable fighting robot
According to UVZ General Director Alexander Potapov, the corporation is developing a combat robot complex based on the T-72B3 tank under a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•31/07/2025
Russia has just made a move to bring back the Soviet-era tank chassis, this time with a major change for this powerful and fearless combat vehicle. The Russian defense industry is said to be testing the Shturm - a remote-controlled unmanned combat vehicle that can operate in urban environments.
Developed by Uralvagonzavod for the Russian Ministry of Defense , the system consists of a combat vehicle and a mobile command unit, both built on the chassis of a modified T-72 or T-90 tank.
Footage shared by Russian military observer Andrei_bt shows this combat version operating with a crew on board, although it is designed to be remotely controlled.
The Shturm is likely to be equipped with a shortened 125mm D-414 main gun for better maneuverability in tight spaces, along with dynamic frontal armor, a bulldozer blade, and a slightly improved turret.
The command vehicle, also tracked, can control a platoon of robot tanks within a 3 km (1.9 mi) radius and is armored against rocket-propelled grenades and other anti-tank threats.
The Shturm's emergence reflects Moscow's continued efforts to repurpose older platforms for modern battlefield roles. The Shturm is designed to breach fortified positions and carry out high-risk missions in dense terrain. Its combat version comes in four distinct configurations.
In addition, the vehicle can carry various weapon configurations, including the RPO-2 thermobaric missile launcher and the 2A42 30mm dual-automatic cannon. The fourth version is configured as a heavy missile launcher, carrying 16 220mm unguided thermobaric missiles. Unlike previous Russian-developed autonomous combat platforms such as the Uran-9, the Shturm appears to be built on a more cohesive architecture aimed at increasing its usefulness on the battlefield. However, the extent of its remote control capabilities remains uncertain.
The Shturm’s design clearly demonstrates its orientation towards urban warfare – an increasingly common combat environment in modern conflicts. The vehicle is equipped with a bulldozer blade to clear obstacles, along with a comprehensive protection system to increase survivability when facing close-in threats such as mines, improvised explosive devices or fire from above. In particular, the high level of automation, along with the automatic loading system available from the original design of the T-72, makes the conversion to unmanned form more technically feasible. In particular, the success of Shturm could revive interest in the T-14 Armata tank, Russia's most modern and highly automated combat tank platform to date. Although not yet mass-produced due to budget constraints, the T-14 is still considered an ideal candidate to act as a command center for future unmanned tank formations.
Autonomous combat vehicles are being developed in Russia. Source: Andrei_b.
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