Thursday, November 13, 2014

China Unveils Robopocalyptic Battlebot Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle


China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) unveiled a new unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) designed for operations in confined environments at AirshowChina 2014 in Zhuhai (11-16 November).

Called the Battle Robot, the UGV is a tracked mini tactical operations platform intended for surveillance and combat missions in constrained urban or natural terrain. It is armed with a QBS 09 (Type 09) derived self-loading 12-gauge shotgun as a primary weapon, although a variant with a sub-machine gun of an unspecified type was also illustrated. According to Norinco, the UGV features a modular design, enabling operators to reconfigure the platform to suit a range of mission profiles as well as install upgrades whenever available.

For example, a Norinco spokesperson told IHS Jane's on 11 November that the weapon could be replaced with manipulator arms to perform simple explosive ordnance disposal (EOD). Advanced sensor and camera systems are also potential options to enhance situational awareness of deployed troops.

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