The key facts
- Russia's Defense Ministry plans to create units with unmanned tanks and armored vehicles — statement by Yunus-Bek Evkurov following the Tsentr-2026 (Center-2026) exercises.
- Unmanned vehicles have been tested at a proving ground; work is underway on a version of the BMPT, developed since 2019.
- Evkurov acknowledged that unmanned systems still lag behind humans in speed, but reduce the risk of personnel casualties.
Plans for unmanned units
Russia's armed forces plan to form units equipped with unmanned tanks and other armored vehicles. Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation, Army General Yunus-Bek Evkurov, announced this in an interview with Zvezdanews following the Tsentr-2026 (Center-2026) strategic exercises.
Testing and work on the BMPT
According to Evkurov, unmanned combat vehicles have already been tested at a proving ground. In addition, the Defense Ministry is working on a version of the tank support combat vehicle (BMPT), which has been under development since 2019. The general noted that such equipment is fitted with weapons, targeting systems and observation devices. In his assessment, the BMPT showed good results in the zone of the special military operation.
Limitations and advantages
The deputy minister acknowledged that unmanned systems still lag behind servicemen in the speed of task execution. However, their use, in his words, makes it possible to reduce the risk of personnel casualties, which he called one of the main advantages of such equipment.
Drones at the Tsentr-2026 exercises
Earlier, Evkurov reported that during the Tsentr-2026 exercises, around 500 drones were in the air simultaneously. The military practiced countering drones and covering assault units. The exercises involved fixed-wing and rotor-type drones, divided into two groups with different color markings for the hypothetical enemy and Russian units. The fight for control of low-altitude airspace was practiced.
