Modern developments of combat robots, both domestic and foreign, can be criticized for a long time, they have enough shortcomings. The main thing, in my opinion, is that now these developments are being done to a greater extent for demonstration purposes, in order to demonstrate the very possibility of creating this type of machine. Indeed, many samples then travel from exhibition to exhibition for years. An exhibition model is inevitably created in haste, sometimes in the hope of a future order, sometimes in order to show that our defense corporations are no worse than that of a potential foe. That is why it is not well thought out, has many vulnerabilities, and is suitable for combat operations well, if in part.
"Uran-9" is a good vehicle armed with a 30-mm 2A42 cannon, the closest to the variant proposed below, but at the same time retaining all the shortcomings of exhibition combat robots.
Why not immediately think and create a model of a combat robot that will immediately, without any reservations, be suitable for war? Hastily baked exhibition samples to a certain extent disorient the command, which is forced to choose from models that are clearly unsuitable for combat conditions, when the enemy will beat them with everything that they have. Hence the well-known coldness of the army to the already available samples of combat robots. Now, if there was such a sample, which at first glance would have been a combat vehicle, then, perhaps, it would not have rusted with the order.
Since the situation in the world is clearly warming up, then, in my opinion, it is advisable to offer some sketches for the project of a combat robot specifically for war.
Although I am most disposed towards automatic combat strike vehicles, which are able to operate mostly autonomously, nevertheless, I think that the creation of a robot within the framework of the existing concept of an immediate infantry support vehicle is quite expedient. Within the framework of this concept, the combat robot found, upon closer analysis, an unusually large number of goals and objectives.
Better to put a piece of iron under fire
Since the basic requirements for a combat vehicle are determined by the likely tactics of its use, you need to carefully look at what the combat robot will do.
It is usually believed that the robot should be a mobile platform - a carrier of weapons (usually large-caliber machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, various guided missiles), the main task of which is to fire, supporting the infantry, for example, in an attack, in the assault on fortified positions … However, the existing types of robots, firstly, are poorly armed for such a purpose, and, secondly, they duplicate existing military equipment (for example, armored personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, which have approximately the same set of weapons and a 30-mm automatic cannon, which robots have No). In addition, a tank with its cannon is an incomparably more weighty argument in providing fire support to the infantry than a “machine gun with a motor”. It is hardly possible to hope that relatively light combat robots will receive powerful artillery weapons and will be able to replace tanks or self-propelled guns. A rocket launcher can be installed on a robot, but this is already the path to an autonomous strike robot, since it is quite obvious that such a robot cannot act together with the infantry; with each shot, the infantry will be forced to scatter and take cover from a powerful jet of reactive gases.
Dead end? Not really. For a small, armored and unmanned vehicle, there is an important tactical task, the implementation of which will help turn the outcome of the battle. This task is to collect enemy fire on ourselves, help to identify its firing points and partially, as far as the capabilities of the machine are enough, to suppress them. The rest is achieved by other means of fire. Thus, the main tactical task of an infantry support combat robot is reconnaissance in force.
There is no need to prove that any reconnaissance in force, for all its necessary, is a very unpleasant form of combat, fraught with great risk and losses. For this task, the best fighters are allocated, the losses of which in killed or wounded are very sensitive for any unit. It is better and more expedient to put a self-propelled piece of iron under fire instead of people.
Hence, there are three main requirements for this type of combat robot. The first is compactness and good booking. The second is sufficient firepower. The third is a developed system of observation, reconnaissance and communication devices.
Height is just over a meter
Armored vehicles are usually designed to accommodate a crew. For example, the average reserve volume for accommodating one crew member is 2.5 cubic meters. meters. This leads to a large armor volume, rather large dimensions of the vehicle, and the large area and thickness of the armor make the armored vehicle quite heavy.
Since there is no crew in a combat robot, its entire reserve volume can be reduced to the very minimum, which protects the engine, fuel tanks and batteries, weapons, on-board computer, radio station, and devices. Of these, weapons, along with ammunition, will be installed mainly outside the hull, electronic equipment and devices do not take up much space, so about 3 cubic meters. meters of the reserve volume is quite enough to squeeze a diesel engine, a supply of fuel, batteries and all other necessary equipment into it.
In accordance with these estimates, the size of the armored hull is quite compact: 3.5 meters in length, 0.8 meters in height and about 1 meter in width. With a booking area of 17, 7 sq. meters and armor thickness of 30 mm, the weight of the armor is 4.5 tons. Together with everything else, the total weight of the car can be easily packed in 7-7, 5 tons. Reservations, of course, do not have to be so thick everywhere. It is possible to reduce the thickness of the armor of the bottom and roof, as well as the rear plate, but at the same time increase the thickness of the front plate and side plates (which will be fired on most often) to 60-70 mm. Differentiated booking will make the combat robot a very tough nut to crack.
It is most advisable to make a robot with the maximum use of parts and assemblies from existing military equipment. First, it will greatly simplify the production of combat vehicles. Secondly, it will simplify maintenance and especially the repair of combat robots, which they will need very often. Therefore, in my assumptions, I was guided by those nodes that are already used in military equipment.
The engine is of course a diesel engine, for example, UTD-20S from BPM-2 or KAMAZ-7403 from BTR-80. These engines are quite compact in size, but at the same time they have a lot of power, which will make the combat robot, whose weight will be about half the weight of the BTR-80, fast and agile.
The chassis of the robot must, of course, be wheeled. The wheel suspension is simpler and more reliable than the tracks, the wheeled vehicle is more difficult to immobilize than the track, and the wheel is more stable when blown up by a mine. The wheel along with the suspension can also be taken from the BTR-80. When determining the dimensions of a combat robot, I proceeded from the fact that its wheel arrangement would be 6x6, that is, three wheels on each side. Wheel diameter - 1115 mm, ground clearance 475 mm. With an armored hull height of about 800 mm, it will rise above the wheel by only 160 mm - 16 centimeters, or so. In total, from the ground to the roof, it is about 130 cm high.
The red lines mark the approximate dimensions of the armored hull of the combat robot, in comparison with the BTR-80.
It will be very difficult for the enemy to get into such a low and flat car. The small projection area of the target, combined with good armor, will make it invulnerable to heavy machine guns. In theory, the robot can be destroyed with a shot from an RPG, but it will take a very successful shot to achieve a hit and defeat even a standing car. In addition, the sides, in addition to armor, are also protected by wheels.
30-mm cannon and lifting combat module
In my opinion, a machine gun is too weak a weapon for a combat robot. It is best to focus on the 2A72 30mm automatic cannon (it has the same ammunition load for the 2A42 cannon, but the recoil when fired is less, and therefore it can be installed on lightly armored vehicles). Cannons of this type are relatively light and compact. The weight of the gun itself is 115 kg, the weight of the 500 rounds of ammunition is 400 kg. For the Mi-28 helicopter, a turret for the 2A42 cannon has been developed, which can be taken as a basis for the turret of a combat robot's cannon. The height of the turret is about 30 cm.
Cannon 2A42 on an aircraft turret. It is not at all necessary to make a big tower for it, like on "Uran-9".
This gun is surprisingly compact and lightweight. Just what you need to arm combat robots. In addition to the cannon, it seems advisable to add the AGS-30, which weighs only 16 kg, and another 13, 7 kg - a box for 30 shots.
The very compact size and relatively low weight of the gun and the grenade launcher allow them to be placed in one combat module, in pairs. This module is a very important part of the entire machine, on which all the combat capabilities of the robot depend. Since the height of the machine is small, it is advisable to make the module lifting. In this case, the robot has the opportunity to fire from shelters: a trench, a wall, an earthen rampart. The module is best made in the form of a "glass" made of armored steel, which is lifted up using a hydraulic drive. A rotary device is mounted inside the "glass" and ammunition for the 30-mm cannon is placed. The cannon itself and the grenade launcher paired with it on the swivel turret are mounted above the upper edge of the "glass" and are protected by armored shields (or a small turret). Thus, the "glass" is stationary, and the turret can rotate, providing a circular fire. An armored "glass" is needed so that in the raised state of the module, enemy shelling cannot hit the turret mechanisms and ammunition. When folded, only the turret under the armor rises above the roof (its height can be approximately 30-40 cm, which gives the total height of the vehicle along the top of the combat module 160-170 cm; but the smaller the better). In the raised state, the module can rise 70-80 cm, then the turret will be raised more than 2 meters above the ground.
It seems that such a set of weapons is quite sufficient for a combat robot, since it allows you to hit most of the targets that appear on the battlefield.
Observation and reconnaissance devices
Combat robots are usually equipped with a fairly decent list of cameras and instruments that are absolutely necessary for him to control confidently. However, the installation of cameras on the sides of such a low-height body of a combat robot will lead to the fact that the reconnaissance value of the robot will be small, due to the very limited field of view. Additional equipment and devices are required.
Optical equipment. In addition to the cameras dedicated to control, it would be wise to add a few more surveillance cameras. The first of these is an all-round camera installed in a hemisphere of bulletproof glass on the roof of the combat module (in addition to the cameras designed for aiming the cannon and grenade launcher installed inside the module).
A typical example of all-round cameras. The transparent sphere can be made of bulletproof glass.
The second is a camera, also with a circular view, mounted on a retractable telescopic rod that rises vertically. This, a kind of periscope, is intended for cases when you need to inspect the area from a wide angle of view, or unnoticeably look out from behind a shelter or obstacle. The third is a forward-looking camera mounted on a telescopic rod that extends horizontally forward. In urban combat, such a camera will allow you to unnoticeably peer around the corner of the building.
All cameras must capture the infrared range, which will allow them to be used as the simplest thermal imagers. A full-fledged thermal imager is best used in a gun aiming optics kit.
Sound metering equipment. Modern systems for processing acoustic signals have led to the creation of a compact and highly efficient set of equipment that allows you to detect firing points by the sound of shots. They are very simple, compact and versatile. This can be seen at least in the "Owl" system, which uses detection of the shock wave from a flying bullet. The processing of acoustic measurement data allows you to accurately detect the place of a shot of any type of small arms with a caliber of up to 14.5 mm, and the data processing takes no more than two seconds, and the number of simultaneously detected targets reaches ten.
A combat robot can have an automatic mode of firing, when, without the participation of an operator, it fires high-explosive fragmentation projectiles at the places of enemy shots detected by the acoustic system.
The value of a combat robot for reconnaissance and combat control is very high, and much more than one might imagine at first glance.
First, a combat robot with good observation devices can be considered a mobile AP. The fact that he constantly transmits a video signal over the radio channel is not very good. But, as soon as this is done, it is necessary to derive the maximum benefit from it. Through cameras, not only the operator of the combat robot, but also higher-ranking commanders can look at the battlefield (the robot control system must be able to connect from the command side). The opportunity to see the battle with your own eyes directly from the headquarters is a very valuable opportunity.
Secondly, for the accompanying infantry, these are also "eyes" and "ears", as well as a mobile radio transmitter. Any combat robot has a rather powerful radio station that provides its control, and then the combat robot can serve as a mobile communication center. To do this, on the aft side of the robot, you need to install a remote control with a screen, camera control and a telephone receiver for communicating with the operator (like the one that was installed on American tanks, starting at least with the M4 "Sherman"). By contacting the operator, the Marines can request a transmission to the aft camera control panel to see for themselves. This will be most effective in urban combat.
A shot that clearly shows a soldier talking to the crew of the M4 "Sherman" tank on the phone installed at the stern of the tank. April 1945, Battle of Okinawa.
Thirdly, a robot equipped with instruments for detecting targets, determining its own position and measuring azimuth and distance to targets can be an excellent artillery or air gunner. If the robot supplies precise coordinates for firing mortarmen, self-propelled guns and aircraft, then it does not need heavy weapons to destroy, say, tanks or strong fortifications.
In my opinion, a combat robot for direct support of the infantry is not at all a "machine gun with a motor", but rather a mobile observation, reconnaissance and correction point, which has the ability to independently hit some targets. Such a combat robot will really be very useful in combat.
