Russia shows Shturm robotic tank system in big exercise

Russia has used uncrewed tanks from its Shturm heavy robotic assault system in combat drills for the first time, sending remotely controlled T-72-based vehicles to support assault troops during its Tsentr-2026 strategic exercise.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was shown the vehicles at the Chebarkul training range in the Chelyabinsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Oct. 2. The ministry said the machines are built on the T-72B3M tank chassis and have uncrewed fighting compartments, in two versions: one with a tank-type turret and one armed like a BMPT tank support vehicle. During the main stage of the drills, they provided fire support to assault units.

The Shturm system pairs remotely controlled combat vehicles with a crewed control vehicle, all built on T-72 or T-90 tank chassis. The combat vehicles can still be driven by a crew on board if needed. The most visible feature of the main version is a shortened 125 mm gun, designed so the turret can swing freely between buildings in urban fighting. It also carries a bulldozer blade, all-around armor against shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons, and launchers for rocket flamethrowers or other weapons on the turret. A version with a 152 mm gun is reported to be in development.

During the drills, operators controlled the armored group from a safe distance using joysticks, FPV headsets and tablets over a multichannel, jam-resistant link, the Rostec weapons project “Russian Weapons” told Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Russian outlet ANNA News reported that each vehicle was driven by three operators working as commander, gunner and driver, seated in the separate control vehicle.

That control setup is one of the system’s main limitations. The robotic tanks cannot operate on their own. They depend on a dedicated crewed control vehicle, essentially a second tank chassis without a turret, which has to stay close enough to keep the radio link. Earlier Russian reports put the control radius at about 3 km (1.9 miles), meaning the crew still has to work near the fight in an armored vehicle of its own.

The Defense Ministry has not published any data on how the link performs under heavy electronic warfare, the main threat to remote-controlled systems on the battlefield in Ukraine, where both sides jam drones and ground robots daily.

Uralvagonzavod began work on Shturm under a Russian Defense Ministry order around 2018. The first images of a test vehicle appeared in July 2025 at the company’s plant in Nizhny Tagil, with a crew on board. At the time, The National Interest questioned whether the remote control and autonomy features were ready.

The Tsentr-2026 exercise, which ran from Sept. 28 to Oct. 3 and involved more than 47,000 troops, also featured T-14 Armata tanks, the Zarya laser air defense system and other robotic vehicles, according to the Defense Ministry.

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