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Russia's Newest Robot Tank Joins Military Drills Near Moscow

You may have heard of a UAV, or unmanned aerial vehicle, but have you heard about UGVs? UGV stands for unmanned ground vehicle and, just like it sounds like, a UGV is basically a tank drone. One of Russia's newest UGV robotic tanks, called the Soratnik, which means c comrade-in-arms, trained side by side with Russian infantry forces at the Alabino training ground near Moscow on Wednesday. The Soratnik was joined by another UGV called the Nerehta, which sports 4 anti-tank missile bays. Both systems are piloted remotely by expert crews from up to 6 miles away and can reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. Both the Soratnik and the Nerehta are built by the Kalashnikov Concern, the same company that manufactures the legendary AK-47. Russian Defence Ministry officials kept a sharp eye on the UGV systems - they will ultimately decide if the Soratnik or the Nerehta enter into active military service. Soratnik is a seven-ton robot tank that can be equipped with machine guns of various calibres, grenade launchers and guided missiles with a range of three miles. The UGVs are designed to keep human beings out of harm's way on the battlefield and may herald an entirely new type of warfare.