Summary
- Kalashnikov is making a new drone tank 3 times the size of the already produced BAS-01G Soratnik
Kalashnikov has announced plans to make a 20-ton drone tank for the Russian Army. Kalashnikov manufacturers vodka, souvenirs, clothing, accessories and video games, but are typically known as an assault rifle manufacturer. Kalashnikov named their business after the well known AK-47 rifle.
This won’t be their first foray into drone tanks. The first model, the BAS-01G Soratnik tank, travels at up to 25mph, weighs seven tons, and can fit a 7.62mm Kalashnikov PKTM machine gun, or a 12.7mm heavy machine gun, grenade launchers and up to eight Kornet guided missiles with a range of three miles.
BAS-01G Soratnik tank facts
- in Russian, Soratnik means “comrade-in-arms”
- was designed to fit the needs of the Russian Ministry of Defense who requested a machine which could assist humans in combat
- travels up to 25mph / 40kph
- weighs seven tons
- can be fitted with various combinations of machine guns, missiles and grenade launchers
- can be controlled from up to 6m / 10km away
- can perform various tasks on its own without human intervention
The new 20-ton tank will be 3 times the size of the Soratnik, with similar capabilities that will scale up with size. In other words, we expect the new monster tank robot to be able to carry significantly more weaponry.
It’s rumored that the new Russian beast will be on par with the U.S. Army’s .M1126 Stryker ICV (pictured above.)
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