The Ukrainian Armed Forces Are Converting Soviet Armored Vehicles Into Combat Robots
- 25.08.2026, 15:43
- 1,340
The BRDM-2s will head into battle without a crew.
Ukraine is working on converting Soviet BRDM-2 armored vehicles into remotely controlled combat platforms. The project is intended to allow the use of old, unmanned vehicles in areas where it is too dangerous to send military personnel, according to The War Zone.
The Central Directorate for Innovation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is leading the development. According to its head, Colonel Vladislav Voloshin, the vehicle is planned to be equipped with a remote control system with a range of up to 1,000 kilometers, a new diesel engine, and an automatic transmission.
“They also want to install a remotely controlled combat module on the BRDM-2 equipped with automatic weapons of at least 12.7 mm caliber. This will expand the capabilities of Ukrainian units and increase their effectiveness in carrying out combat missions, while also helping to save the lives of servicemembers,” Voloshin stated.
The vehicle will also be reinforced with mine protection, tubeless tires, fragmentation protection, and a backup control system. Day and night vision cameras will allow the operator to control the vehicle remotely and beyond line of sight.
“Ukraine is relying not only on robotic vehicles but also on artificial intelligence,” the publication writes. Andriy Hrytsenyuk , head of the “Brave1” defense technology center , stated that combat ground robots without AI “do not operate with the necessary efficiency.” Such systems are capable of recognizing, classifying, and tracking targets, while providing recommendations to the operator.
The project’s advantage lies in utilizing existing stocks of BRDM-2s rather than building a new platform from scratch. In this way, Soviet-era equipment is given a second life, transforming into a tool for remote warfare, logistics, and evacuation.
If the tests prove successful, the robotic BRDMs could join the tens of thousands of ground-based unmanned vehicles already in use by Ukraine.
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