Shturm
Remotely operated tank and BMPT variant from Uralvagonzavod providing fire support to assault units
Uncrewed ground vehicle (UGV) on the T-72B3M chassis, in a tank version and a BMPT-style version, meant to give assault units fire support without a crew on board. First used in an exercise during Tsentr-2026 (Sep–Oct 2026), where, according to Russian sources, its debut went badly. Relevant to the drone analyst as an uncrewed system that is itself highly vulnerable to drones and depends on a radio link that EW can disrupt.
Learn more in the Drone Academy →Key data
- Manufacturer
- Uralvagonzavod
- Basis
- T-72B3M chassis; tank version and BMPT-style version
- Armament
- Shortened 125 mm gun (main version), dozer blade and extra armour; a 152 mm version is reportedly in development
- Control
- Three operators (commander, gunner, driver) in a separate crewed control vehicle on a tank chassis, which must stay within about 3 km with line of sight
Tsentr-2026 debut (claim, Oct 2026)
- Outcome
- According to Russian sources, the Shturm repeatedly lost its radio link to the control vehicle; for Putin's demonstration a driver on board drove it instead of remote operators. A photo shows the vehicle nose-down in a muddy ditch
- Criticism
- Armour expert Andrei Tarasenko: engine compartment and turret roof almost unprotected against drones; the concept depends on a command post 3–4 km away with line of sight
- Source
- Russian MoD, Rostec 'Russian Weapons', ANNA News via Defence Blog (3 Oct 2026), RU Mil Tracker e-20261004-07 — not independently verified
Relevance
- Vulnerability
- The data link to the control vehicle is an EW target; the vehicle itself is a large, slow target for FPV drones from above
- See also
- The Arena-M card (active protection against drones, shown at the same exercise)
News archive 2
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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«О безэкипажных танках» (Rybar: 'On uncrewed tanks' — Deputy Defence Minister Yevkurov says uncrewed tank units may appear in the Russian armed forces)
The milblogger channel Rybar reports that Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov has said units of uncrewed tanks may appear in the Russian armed forces, and that the vehicles were tested at a range in Chelyabinsk region. Rybar does not quote Yevkurov directly or say where or when he said this; the original statement could not be traced in other sources…
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Tsentr-2026: Shturm robotic tank debut falters in the mud while T-90M's Arena-M downs drones in staged attack
During the Tsentr-2026 strategic exercise (28 September – 3 October, more than 47,000 troops according to the Russian Defence Ministry), Russia used uncrewed tanks from Uralvagonzavod's Shturm heavy robotic assault system in drills for the first time. The ministry said on 2 October that President Putin was shown the vehicles at the Chebarkul range in Chelya…