Russia Developing Robotic Assault Vehicle, Armored Engineering Vehicle Based on T-72B3 Tank

As Ukraine prepare to receive Challenger Tanks and Bradley IFVs, Russia has announced the development of a robotic assault and obstacle clearing vehicle and a multi-purpose armored engineering vehicle to enhance troop mobility.

Two multi-purpose armored engineering vehicles based on the T-72B3 tank will arrive for Russian army engineers this year, Chief of Russia’s Engineering Troops Lieutenant-General Yury Stavitsky said in an interview with the Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper published on Friday.

"In order to raise the troop mobility, a multi-purpose armored engineering vehicle (UBIM) based on the T-72B3 tank has been developed and is being accepted for service instead of the IMR-3M obstacle-clearing engineering vehicle and the BAT-2 tracklayer," Stavitsky said.

The new vehicle is outfitted with a combat module to strike enemy manpower and light armored hardware. The delivery of two UBIM equipment sets to the engineering troops is scheduled for 2023, the general specified.

Work is underway to develop the IMR-ShR multi-purpose robotic assault and obstacle-clearing vehicle to bolster Russian troop mobility, Stavitsky said.

The new vehicle is designated "to provide for the troop advance and the fulfillment of engineering work amid enemy fire, in particular, to ensure the advance of assault units in urban and industrial areas and liquidate the consequences of natural and man-made disasters," he explained.