Recently, the possibility of creating unmanned tanks (BET), or, as they are commonly called, robotic tanks, has been often discussed. This problem, taking into account the progress in aviation in the creation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), is of interest to many, but at the same time, the emphasis is often placed on issues that are not related to the essence of the problem and without taking into account the capabilities of technical means.
Before discussing the possibilities of creating a BET, it is necessary to decide what goal is set for this object, what tasks are assigned to it, methods for solving the problems and technical means that ensure their solution.
The goal of developing BET is obvious: to remove a person from the tank to save his life while using this combat vehicle. At the same time, BET must ensure the solution of all tasks assigned to the linear tank without losing the quality of their implementation. By definition, a tank is an armored tracked vehicle with powerful weapons, designed to be used as the main strike force of the ground forces, which determines the tasks it solves.
In addition to the tank, a number of special-purpose vehicles are being developed on its basis: reconnaissance, demining, repair and recovery vehicles and a number of other special vehicles. These objects belong to another class of armored vehicles and require separate consideration.
The tank can be used for its intended purpose in various conditions of combat use, such as: in an offensive on rough terrain or in urban areas, reconnaissance, defense, on the march. At the same time, the use of BET will not be justified in all cases, for example, on the march and in defense, it is impractical, here it is more efficient to use crew tanks.
When performing the assigned tasks, the tank must move on the ground, search for targets and destroy them using the capabilities of the crew and technical means. You can remove the crew from the tank and ensure its control in two ways - to make the tank autonomous or to control it remotely.
According to the theory of automatic control, BET can be completely autonomous as an automatic control system (robot tank) or remotely controlled by an operator as an automated control system (robotic tank). These are two completely different classes of cars. There can also be a hybrid control scheme, when the object works autonomously and, if necessary, the operator can take over control.
Comparison of the development of BET with the development of UAVs is incorrect, since the conditions for using UAVs in airspace are much "softer" than the operating conditions of BET on rough terrain, in a rapidly changing environment, among natural obstacles that impede the solution of diverse problems.
In the early 90s. I had to discuss the problems of creating an information and control system for the tank with the developers of the control systems of the space shuttle "Buran" and the carrier rocket "Energia", which they tried to involve in this work. According to their estimates, solving problems by a control system on a tank is not inferior in complexity to rocket and space technology, and in some issues it is even more difficult.
Tank robot
BEP in this version must independently move on the ground, overcome obstacles (including those that suddenly appear), search for a target, choose the most dangerous one, determine the type of weapon, aim and fire.
Only a highly intelligent control system can perform all these operations without human intervention. Artificial intelligence, and even more so "artificial neural network", as suggested by some craftsmen, today does not exist and is not expected in the near future. All this is from a series of fiction so far.
The maximum that can be realistically realized is the movement of the object according to a rigid program in a previously reconnoitered area for the purpose of reconnaissance and identification of the enemy's firepower. If necessary, with the ability to intercept operator control. It is still impossible to achieve more at this stage. In this design, the tank robot cannot solve the tasks assigned to the linear tank.
Robotic tank
The BEP in this version must solve all the tasks assigned to the tank crew by giving commands from remotely remote operators. For this, the facility must provide the ability to receive information and remote control:
- electronic video surveillance system of the driver;
- nodes and mechanisms that ensure mobility;
- electronic devices for observation and search for targets (tele, heat, radar);
- automatic loader;
- aiming and firing system;
- navigation system.
The BEP must have a crypto-resistant and anti-jamming channel for transmitting commands from remote operators and an anti-jamming video channel for transmitting images from the driver's video surveillance system and from observation and target search devices.
All these systems on the BEP should be linked into a digital information and control system. One may ask the question: which of the existing tanks has all this? There are no such tanks today, potentially only a tank according to the "Armata" project, which contains some basic systems, is ready for this.
In this regard, the statement of the director of UVZ on the creation of a robotic tank based on the T-72B3 does not stand up to criticism, there is practically nothing on this tank to implement such a concept. This is an unsubstantiated statement by the director, not the chief designer, who has no idea what complex of issues needs to be resolved for such a tank.
Technical means
The problems of creating a BET are not in the tank itself, conceptually and in terms of layout, it can be unchanged, but in the absence and complexity of creating the necessary systems that ensure its high-quality control. The most problematic of them are a video surveillance system for driving and orientation on the ground, a control command transmission channel and a navigation system.
Video surveillance system
Existing television systems do not provide for the creation of a circular three-dimensional image of the terrain, they only provide a flat picture, which is not enough for orientation on the terrain. This problem has not been solved at any of the objects of armored vehicles.
They came closest to solving it on the Israeli tank "Merkava". In the “Iron Vision” system developed for this tank, which receives signals from many video cameras located around the perimeter of the tank, a three-dimensional picture is created through a computer and displayed on the operator's helmet-mounted display. Without such a video surveillance system, the BET concept cannot be realized.
Control command transmission channel
This element of the control system is the most problematic and vulnerable from the side of the enemy. The equipment for transmitting digital information over radio communication channels existing today in the ground forces is not effective enough and cannot guarantee the transfer of control commands in the face of enemy opposition.
The use of ZAS equipment can provide the necessary cryptographic strength and exclude the possibility of the enemy intercepting BEP control. It is possible to increase the noise immunity of the channel with the help of special data transmission equipment, but at the same time, the enemy still has the ability, when used in a limited area of the electronic warfare system, to effectively suppress the communication channel, which is now observed in UAV control systems. To solve this problem, it is necessary to consider the possibility of creating channels for transmitting information on other physical principles that exclude their suppression.
Navigation system
This element should include two components: a global GLONASS / GPS and an inertial navigation system. The global system makes it possible to determine the coordinates of the BEP and, according to certain algorithms, the coordinates of the target, but the determination of the spatial position for low-speed and stationary objects is very problematic. This requires an inertial navigation system using a gyro platform at the facility. The combination of these navigation systems will make it possible to accurately determine the BET coordinates, its position in space and the direction of movement necessary to ensure firing. It should be borne in mind that the enemy is able to suppress the global navigation system in certain areas.
Base for BET
The BET can be developed specifically for unmanned vehicles and it will not provide for the regular placement of the crew or the possibility of retrofitting a linear tank with the necessary systems. The development of a special BT allows to reduce the volume of the reserved space and the mass of the tank by excluding the crew members. With this concept, a new unit of armored vehicles appears, it is necessary to organize its production and operation, as well as transportation to the place of use.
The concept of using a linear tank as a base looks more promising, in which its standard systems already include the possibility of remote control. The tank can be retrofitted with the necessary systems at the manufacturing plant or in the army as needed and used as a BET. In addition, it will be difficult for the enemy to determine the place and time of the use of BET, since linear and unmanned tanks externally will practically not differ. Such a concept was laid in the "Boxer" tank under development; it can be put into the Armata tank. This concept allows any line tank to be unmanned.
The BET control vehicle should also be built on the chassis of a linear tank, and the operator's workplaces should be equipped with instruments and systems of workplaces for the crew members of the linear tank.
An important issue is the number of BET control operators. Operators must perform all the functions of the crew members to control the movement of the BET, search for targets, conduct fire and control the unit, that is, there must be three of them. It is possible to reduce the number of operators to two people, in this case, the command of the unit should be provided by the commander of the crew tank, and quality may be lost when combining the functions of searching for targets and firing on one operator.
As a result, we can say that BET can be created, only it will not be a robot tank. The necessary technical means are not yet available for this. For now, it can be a remote-controlled robotic tank performing line tank tasks at the command of remote operators.
