Not so long ago, a ten-minute animated video began to spread on the Internet, demonstrating the capabilities of a certain combat robot. It tells how a compound of three remotely controlled vehicles breaks through enemy positions and takes out the wounded, simultaneously destroying several enemy tanks and helicopters. Comments to the video were immediately divided into three conditional groups. The supporters of the first opinion expressed themselves in an envious manner, regretting that such equipment was not in service with our army. Other commentators criticized the technical aspects of the project, appealing to its various features, and also to consider the possibilities of such a technique, if it existed not only in the form of a “hero” of the video. Finally, the third group of speakers, as always happens, began to accuse the project, and at the same time its authors and the military, of uselessness and unnecessary waste of money. The third opinion can be ignored - as it soon became known, the video was created on the initiative of the authors of the project and does not claim to be realistic. Its main purpose is to demonstrate the ideas inherent in the project.
As it turned out later, a remotely controlled mobile robot (this is how the machine is currently called) is the subject of a patent belonging to a certain D. K. Semenov. Soon the text of the patent application was discovered, from which quite interesting information regarding the design and conceptual solutions can be derived. The project involves the creation of a self-propelled lightly armored remotely controlled vehicle capable of performing various combat missions, from reconnaissance to attacking enemy positions. This is the reason for the specific appearance of the robot - a relatively small armored body with a multi-wheeled chassis and a developed weapon system.
To protect against bullets and fragments of enemy shells, the mobile robot is supposed to be equipped with ceramic armor. A large number of relatively small tiles will make it possible to protect the entire complex of a complex shape with great efficiency. Inside the armored hull there is a power plant (gasoline or diesel engine), an electric current generator, a battery, control systems, and ammunition. According to the text of the patent application, a promising robot should move using six motor-wheels. Each of them should be located on a shock absorbing column with a swivel mechanism. Thus, all six wheels of the vehicle can rotate around a vertical axis and thus be used for steering. With regard to the use of electric motors located inside the wheels, this design allows you to remove the transmission mechanisms from the design and thereby save a fairly large volume inside the armored body.
On the roof of the robot body, the author of the project proposes to mount a rotary turret for barrel armament. For guidance, it can be equipped with high-torque electric motors. A sighting video camera is associated with the receiver systems. Several more cameras are supposed to be installed on the body in such a way that they provide all-round visibility. To protect the cameras from damage, Semenov suggests using two technical solutions at once. Firstly, all the robot's optics must be covered with armoring with movable curtains, and secondly, in case of damage, the robot is equipped with a special system for replacing broken glass and spare blocks of the latter. As an additional means of detecting the enemy, a promising robot can also use a system of microphones with an all-round "view". It is assumed that the use of such a complex system of sensor devices will help increase the likelihood of enemy detection and give the robot certain advantages.
Of greatest interest in the proposed project is its armament complex. On the roof of the robot body there is a seat for a turret with a barrel armament. The latter consists of two rifle caliber machine guns (PKT or any other with similar weight and dimensions) and one original automatic grenade launcher. As you can see from the video, all three weapons are collected in a single package and are aimed at the same time. For aiming, their block is equipped with an additional optical system. The robot's automatic grenade launcher is a barrel system that uses the original ammunition. D. Semenov suggests using spherical garnets made according to a layered scheme. The outer layer of such a ball can be made of fluoroplastic or any other durable plastic, under it is a spherical fragmentation jacket made of metal, and in the very center of the grenade there is an explosive charge and a fuse. In the future, such a system will make it possible to create not only fragmentation grenades, but also ammunition for other purposes: smoke, lighting, etc. The grenade is fired using a supply of compressed air.
The robot's machine guns and grenade launcher are designed to fire at enemy personnel and unarmored vehicles. To combat more serious targets, for example, with armored vehicles, the remotely controlled vehicle must be equipped with armor-piercing weapons. Shots for hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers are offered as ammunition. For them, a special package of guides for 6-7 shots is provided in the back of the robot. In the combat position, it extends over the body of the robot using a special telescopic structure. Horizontal guidance is carried out by rotating the entire robot, vertically - by tilting the package of guides. The calculation of the trajectory and aiming, obviously, is assigned to the electronics of the robot. In the stowed position, the package of guides is located inside the case, while it can be recharged. For this, a certain number of grenade launcher shots are placed inside the armored body, if necessary, they are fed into the guides.
It is argued that the robot's electronics can independently detect attacking objects and fire at them. At the same time, signatures of objects that cannot be attacked are stored in the memory of the hardware-software complex - friendly soldiers and equipment or civilians. Algorithms for identifying the environment have not yet been published and, possibly, have not yet been created. Signals about the state of systems are transmitted to the control panel of the robot, as well as video from surveillance cameras located on the combat vehicle. Thanks to this, the operator can obtain a large amount of data regarding the situation and act accordingly.
The video shows a sanitary modification of a remotely controlled robot. It differs from the "basic" model by the presence of a special evacuation module. In the bottom part of such a robot there is a folding structure, which, if necessary, extends and forms a rectangular box with an additional pair of wheels. A wounded person can be transported inside this unit. Details of the design and layout of this version of the robot have not been published. Obviously, the presence of an evacuation module reduces the ammunition load or in some other way changes the location of the units inside the armored hull.
In the video available, promising combat robots demonstrate the highest potential. Without outside help, they shoot tanks, shoot down helicopters and destroy a mass of enemy personnel. It is easy to guess that in real conditions everything will be much more complicated. It is worth noting that no one even thinks about sending such machines into battle yet. The fact is that at the moment the robot designed by Semenov is only a set of ideas and pans, but nothing more. For all the pros and cons, this concept is still too crude to be used in real life. Nevertheless, a number of ideas are worth considering.
The proposed system with electric wheel drives looks somewhat complex, but interesting. Under some circumstances, the power of the motors from the battery can help the combat robot to covertly enter the position. At the same time, a sufficiently heavy machine will require a powerful battery, the exact parameters of which cannot be calculated at present due to the lack of complete information. Ceramic booking raises some questions. Corundum or carbide tiles provide a good level of protection, but fall apart after the first few hits. Thus, after each battle, repairmen will have to not only flatten the metal case and paint over the bullet marks, but also change dozens of ceramic tiles.
The proposal regarding the sensory system is also original and interesting. However, the camera and microphone array has several major drawbacks. First, the transmission of multiple video signals will require a wide communication channel, subject to electronic warfare. Secondly, it will be necessary to create a simple but effective and technologically advanced system for replacing triplexes. Without it, cameras run the risk of becoming a real consumable. Finally, even without damage, cameras are one of the most expensive parts of the entire structure.
As for the original pneumatic grenade launcher, this idea does not look justified. There are already quite a few automatic grenade launchers and creating another one hardly makes sense. The only advantage of the idea proposed by Semenov concerns the possibility of using several types of ammunition. However, fine-tuning an air gun and the subsequent deployment of mass production can be much more difficult than a simple modification of existing designs with the addition of selective power. At the same time, machine guns are a completely justified type of weapon corresponding to the goals. The only question for them is the number of cartridges transported.
Batch launcher for grenade launcher shots may have certain perspectives. With an appropriate weapon control system, such a unit can be used even on combat vehicles that are less developed in terms of electronics. Moreover, the package of guides can become useful even without the use of a recharge system. At the same time, some doubts are caused by the accuracy of shooting from such weapons, but it is likely to be no lower than that of hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers. A good advantage of the anti-tank system proposed by Semenov is the ammunition. The use of unguided grenade launcher shots significantly reduces the cost of operating a combat robot, although it is not capable of providing combat effectiveness at the level of modern anti-tank missile systems. In the future, a remotely controlled combat vehicle can be equipped with guided anti-tank missiles, but such rearmament will significantly reduce the ammunition load, and in addition, will seriously change the economic side of its operation.
In general, the project of a remotely controlled combat robot designed by D. Semenov is quite interesting. It contains several original and promising solutions. At the same time, it is unlikely that at least a prototype of a new combat vehicle will be produced in the near future. The original solutions entailed too high a degree of novelty, which will certainly alienate potential customers. In the current state, the beginning of design work on a new project will lead, at most, to the creation of a prototype for "testing" technologies. Serial and commercial prospects for such a robot, in turn, are small and vague. Due to the many original solutions, such a combat robot will be very expensive, and its combat effectiveness will continue to be the subject of controversy for a long time. And controversial projects, as you know, rarely become successful and famous.
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