Russia's Courier combat ground robotic complex can now be operated from a smartphone, according to details disclosed at a technology forum in Novosibirsk.
Journalists from the Russian state news agency TASS reported the news during a visit to the 13th International Forum of Technological Development Technoprom, which took place from August 26 to August 28 in Novosibirsk.
Technoprom is an annual technological development event held in Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia. Ground robotic complexes, abbreviated as NRTKs in Russia, are remote-controlled land vehicles built to conduct military operations, intelligence gathering, and logistics without exposing operators to direct battlefield fire.
Ground robot capabilities and manufacturing
The Courier robot was produced at the Caps enterprise with development support from the Omsk Auto-Armored Engineering Institute. The institute, commonly known by its Russian abbreviation OABII, is a military engineering educational establishment based in Omsk that trains specialists in armored vehicle maintenance and design.
The vehicle is designed to carry out a range of tactical roles depending on its operational assignment. According to TASS, the robot can fire weapons, lay landmines, mine roads, conduct surveillance, transport military supplies, and evacuate wounded soldiers from the field.
Engineers also equipped the vehicle with additional modular attachments. A Trojan transformer platform featuring adjustable width can be attached to the Courier as a trailer to expand its cargo and support functions.
Demining applications and frontline deployments
The introduction of smartphone controls follows other recent modifications made to the system in the field. A Russian military commander with the callsign Charon previously stated that specialists at a training center for an engineering brigade in the Sever, or North, group of Russian forces assembled a demining complex named Gravitzapa built on the Courier chassis.
Russian military authorities have increasingly emphasized the use of unmanned ground vehicles for frontline delivery and combat support. In August, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that another ground robotic complex, the Depesha, can cover distances of more than 10 kilometers at speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour to deliver supplies to forward positions.
