Israel’s New Unmanned Robotic Drone Tank Will Change the Way Wars are Fought

Israel’s military industries has been at the forefront of military innovation for decades and the New Robotic Drone Tank is the newest innovation of battlefield weapons meant to provide the IDF with an edge over adversaries. With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) traditional manned weapon systems such as the battle tank are becoming semi-autonomous and even fully autonomous.

The new unmanned robotic drone tank is a fully autonomous cutting-edge weapon system being tested and evaluated for real world applications. Developed by Israeli MOD and Israeli Security Industries, the unmanned robotic drone tank was unveiled at the Eurosatory Defence and Security Exhibition.

The weapon system also known as the ROBUST M-RCV combines advanced AI capabilities with an exterior design for multi-terrain and all-weather operation. It is fitted with passive thermal and visual sensors and a capsule drone that offers 360-degree situational awareness of the battlefield.

The tank is fitted with a 30mm autonomous turret developed by the Tank and APC directorate. The turret can be remotely controlled and is armed with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun and a pintle-mounted 7.62mm machine gun. Additionally, the tank is fitted with a missile launcher and Spike fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).

Autonomous weapons systems are nothing new but what sets the ROBUST M-RCV apart is the integration of AI technology that is fast becoming a game changer for autonomous systems. Using sensors and 3D visualization, the system can automatically detect targets, track multiple targets, and engage smart firing.