Iran revealed a legion of miniature tank robots, remote-controlled four and six-wheeled machines fitted with an assortment of dangerous arms.
As Western states line up to supply sophisticated battle tanks to Ukraine, Iran is unveilings its own tank army.
Iran revealed a legion of miniature tank-robots, remote-controlled four and six-wheeled machines fitted with an assortment of small arms.
The regime have added “artificial intelligence” and new technology into the machines. The new machines include remote-controlled vehicles that have AK-47s attached to them and artificial intelligence applications.
Fars News, associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), addressed this new tank army in a report this week, saying that the industry of the “Islamic Republic” is working on producing new military equipment.
The Islamic Republic has likely developed this industry due to sanctions which dictate that no one will openly sell Iran’s major defense systems at the moment.
The Fars report added that Iran is building new systems in various sectors; a major accomplishment.
This focus on new military technology comes right as the regime is celebrating the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. “We have examined the capability of designing and producing artificial intelligence vehicles by the defense industries of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the report reads.
Ostensibly AI means that the computers on the military systems, or which operate the weapons, can “learn.” This kind of deep learning can involve processes like automatically recognizing targets so that users can click on a screen and order the machine to destroy or investigate the target.
This technology is based on algorithms and other applications, and all of it is AI, Iran is actually keeping up with Western countries and its adversaries, such as Israel.
The report adds that the “knowledge of AI is one of the newest sciences that have been able to show their importance in all fields, especially the military field, during the last few decades. Armed forces around the world have been using this science in recent years, which can be seen in many robots and drones.”
Drones here refer to unmanned vehicles, also known as UGVs or ground robots. UGV robots are small vehicles that contain weapons or armor and electro-optics that can be used on the battlefield. Robots or unmanned vehicles, are good for exploring areas that might be mined, or sometimes they can bring equipment to troops who are in a gunfight or evacuate the wounded. They are also useful for patrolling borders, where soldiers might face sniper fire – the robot can drive along safely and do the job in place of the soldier.
The use of artificial intelligence in areas such as robotic vehicles, artillery shells, simulators and drones has been among the most important areas of application of this science in the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to the report, Iran’s ground forces have been able to design and build remotely-controlled vehicles that have AI to be used in irregular warfare. “The Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the Army Ground Force, considering the situation of Islamic Iran and the conditions of West Asia [i.e the Middle East], as well as considering the experience of the emergence of the ISIS terrorist group, has moved towards the design and construction of drones and has produced them in accordance with the current knowledge of the world,” the report explains, naming the vehicles as “Nazir, Haider and Caracal.”
The Nazir is a large vehicle, the size of a bear or small elephant with six wheels. It has been around for almost a decade and is the first generation of Iranian unmanned vehicles. A four-wheeled version of it also exists. It also has a “flexible chassis” and can drive in various types of terrain. It has an electric engine, the report says, and can drive up to 2km. Iran has day and night optics to conduct surveillance and can be mounted with a 7.62mm weapon system. It weights 600kg. and can also carry cargo and food for soldiers.
The Haider, by contrast, is a much smaller vehicle, dating from 2018. It is about the length of an AK-47, less than a meter, with six wheels. It is supposed to be used in the capacity as a “sniper, suicide bomber, mine thrower or reconnaissance,” according to the report. It can also network with other vehicles. “It is possible to coordinate several Haider robots in the form of a robotic network to carry out multilateral combat operations,” the report.
Iran says it has openly developed a “suicide robot” that can hide and ram into enemy armored vehicles “such as tanks and armored personnel carriers.”
The report adds that “the designers and operators of the operations can use these suicide robots to penetrate into the enemy’s trenches and destroy the enemy’s key commanders.”
The Haider was produced as a response to large tanks and columns of vehicles in possession by Iran’s enemies. Whereas the Nazir was supposedly developed during the ISIS war, this was designed to confront US forces in Iraq and Syria, as well as the vehicles of other partners of the US, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia.
A photo of the Haider included in the report shows it armed with an AK-47, mounted upside down. AK-47s are reputed to be able to fire in all conditions, so it makes sense to put such a robust weapon on the vehicle, but it remains unclear how mounting it upside down enables the user to aim it correctly.
The Caracal is six-wheeled as well, and, like the Haider, it can be armed. This is the latest of Iranian mini-robot AI army, unveiled in 2019, according to the report: “Caracal is an intelligent ground robot that uses an independent suspension system. The maximum speed of Caracal is 30 km/h and it can keep commanders’ hands open for tactical operations.”
It is a very simple vehicle and can carry various types of “light and semi-heavy” weapons. It is also equipped with an “intelligent remote control system with a laser range finder.” It is unclear what this “intelligent” system can do. Other similar UGVs have systems that help in route-finding.
