Text taken from the Telegram channel of ANO_CBST
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] A Russian unmanned tank for urban combat was unveiled. The Shturm heavy assault robotic system (TShRK) was demonstrated at the Center-2026 strategic command and staff exercises in the Chelyabinsk region. The vehicle is not simply an unmanned tank, but an entire family of specialized combat robots united by a common control system.
A single crew can remotely control several combat vehicles simultaneously within a unified battlefield system, which also includes the Spiridon heavy assault robot and the Impulse-M ground robot. The tank itself is a modification of the T-72/90 with a shortened 125mm gun. It is controlled remotely from a support vehicle, which is also based on the T-72 tank chassis.
The operational range is not stated, but presumably it will be quite long with the use of the Rassvet satellite constellation. Artificial intelligence will also be integrated into the target selection system in the future. The shortened gun allows the turret to rotate 360° in narrow streets without hitting walls, poles, or debris.
A bank of multiple cameras, providing a panoramic view, is mounted on the tank's roof. The automatic loader is housed in a special capsule, increasing the ammunition's protection. The system is being developed by the Ural Design Bureau of Transport Engineering, and serial production is being carried out at Uralvagonzavod (part of Rostec).
I remember back in 2020, I posted a photo from exercises in Britain, where a prototype of the Bradley unmanned infantry fighting vehicle was being tested. Large unmanned armored vehicles will inevitably appear once a number of technical issues related to communications and control are resolved.
But like the NRTK, the TSHRK will also find its way onto the battlefield. We need to start working on prototypes now so we don't fall behind later.