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Russia boasts a robotic tank. Experts believe: sooner or later they will appear on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Wars are frequent Testing fields for new weapons. In the Ukraine war, combat robots are now facing their first acid test – both literally and figuratively.
The Russian military-technical group “Tsar Wolves” says it wants to use four “Marker” models in the Donbass. It refers to unmanned armored personnel carrierswhich recognize enemy vehicles and attack them independently – for example the Leopard 2.
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It would be a new kind of warfare – but no surprise. Not only Russia, but also countries like the USA, China, Great Britain, South Korea and Israel are working on it killer robots. They have always managed to prevent their development, production and use from being internationally banned.
Combat robots: Russian threats plausible
The development of combat robots is quite far and one new quality – technical, legal, moral, military:
- Technically it is the triumph of artificial intelligence (AI), after drones, for example, still have to be guided by a pilot, an operator.
- Military could killer robots lower the inhibition threshold to go to war, since the own soldiers are spared.
- Morally The critical point is that in battle it is not the human who has the last word, but ultimately machines without experience, without instincts, without scruples, without “gut feeling”.
- Legally is doubtful whether robots respect international law, whether they can judge what is proportionate; if they can even tell fighters from civilians. Who should be prosecuted if international law is violated, the machine, the manufacturer, his customer?
The Russian threat must be taken seriously. Possibly it is more than a propaganda response to the announced Western military aid for Ukraine with main battle tanks. On the one hand, Russia has already tested autonomous weapons in the Syrian war and has long put the uranium-9 robot on display. On the other hand, behind the group “Tsar Wolves” there is a well-known technician: Dmitry Rogozinthe former head of the Russian space agency.
Rogozin reported on Telegram about a meeting with Yevgeny Dudorov from Magnitogorsk Android Technology, the manufacturer of the robots. The “Marker” tanks are designed to store photos of western tanks in order to autonomously detect and destroy them. The “marker” resembles one armored personnel carrier. It is said to be a three-axle vehicle with a turret with machine guns and anti-tank missiles. And of course, without a crew, it can be smaller, lighter, faster and more maneuverable than conventional tanks.
Military expert considers reports about combat robots to be “plausible”
Thomas Küchenmeisterhead of the non-governmental organization “Facing Finance” and German section head of the “Stop Killer Robots” initiative, considers the reports to be plausible. He cannot judge the autonomous capabilities from his desk in Berlin. “But I’m sure that Russia capable of developing such weapons,” he told our editorial team. Sooner or later, they would “appear on the battlefield.” Also interesting: Five million rubles kill bonus for a Leopard tank
In Germany, the Bundeswehr is at least working on the military use of AI. “Technologically, it’s not five to twelve, but a quarter past twelve,” says Küchenmeister. Some gunsmiths have long since confirmed that they autonomous weapons offer, for example from Rheinmetall.
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How autonomous can the killer robot be?
At the AUSA (Association of the United States Army) arms fair in October 2022 in Washington, the company presented its Mission Maser CXT introduces: a medium-sized wheeled unmanned vehicle that can carry weapons, fire remotely, and find and destroy targets autonomously.
“The restriction of the weapon system is a customer decision, not what we offer,” said Alain Tremblay, Vice President of Business Development and Innovation at Rheinmetall’s US subsidiary. In plain language: The Weapon is autonomous; the customer decides how independent.
Killer robots soon on the battlefield in Ukraine
It is difficult to check how far the Russians have come. The “Uranium-9” model apparently showed weaknesses in the Syrian war. According to unconfirmed reports, it had to be controlled by remote control. The “marker” should teething be fixed.
Rogozin, a confidant of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, claims the “marker” works autonomously, can locate and fire on targets and wounded soldiers from the area battlefield evacuate. According to Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine is also working on autonomous weapons. The next, almost inevitable step: battles between robots.
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