Russia to conduct mass testing of Uran-9 UGV in 2022

The Russian MoD is planning a series of experimental UGV deployments during the course of the 2022 training cycle that will inform procurement decisions. Uran-9 is shown here. (Russian MoD)

The Russian Ground Forces are to conduct large-scale tests of the Uran-9 armed unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) in 2022 to inform decisions on the total number of Uran-9s to be procured, Russian armed forces chief General Oleg Salyukov told the Ministry of Defence's (MoD's) Krasnaya Zvezda ( Red Star ) newspaper on 1 October.

Gen Salyukov indicated that both the Uran-9 combat UGV and the Nerekhta reconnaissance UGV would be accepted into service by the Russian Ground Forces during the course of 2022 and that “experimental military service” would be carried out using these systems.

The results of these trials will inform decisions about the optimal number of UGVs to procure to meet the needs of the Russian Ground Forces, he said.

“According to current MoD discussions, Uran-9 may be fully expendable in combat, so the MoD will have to find a role for this rather expensive UGV where its loss would not be profoundly felt by the military budget,” Samuel Bendett, adjunct senior fellow at the Centre of New American Security think-tank, messaged Janes on 4 October. “We may see an evolution of UGV usage across the Russian military as it experiments with different combat platforms, from smaller, less expensive vehicles like Nerekhta and Platforma to larger expensive ones like Uran-9, to arrive at a final consideration regarding which UGVs it will be using in future combat.”