The People's Army of Vietnam RBB-01 armed UGV, which is now deployed with its special forces. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)
The People's Army of Vietnam has confirmed the operationalisation of an armed unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), and the system is now deployed across several special forces units.
Speaking to Janes at the Vietnam International Defense Exhibition (VIDEX) 2022, which is taking place in Hanoi from 8 to 10 December, a representative from the service confirmed that the RBB-01 UGV began an induction process in 2020 and is now fully operational with selected units.
However, details on these units and the number of UGVs deployed cannot be disclosed due to operational secrecy concerns.
The RBB-01 is a tracked UGV that has been developed for the People's Army of Vietnam in collaboration with the country's state-affiliated Z-111 Factory. The system is equipped with the TL-K12 9 mm rapid-fire pistol that can dispense up to 1,000 rds/min with an effective kill range of about 50 m.
The UGV is equipped with a day and night camera and it has been incorporated with an automatic target tracking system, with target ranges of up to 200 m. It has a top speed of about 5 km/h and an endurance of about 3 hours when continuously in motion.
The RBB-01 can be programmed with waypoints for patrol duties and can operate at distances of up to 500 m from its operator station. In addition,, the UGV can be guided either by Global Positioning System (GPS) or the Russian satellite navigation system, GLONASS.
Presently, there are no plans to market the RBB-01 for customers outside Vietnam, said the People's Army of Vietnam representative who spoke to Janes .
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