Rostec, the russian state-owned arms corporation, has released a video showcasing the BMR-3MA Vepr military mine clearance vehicle conducting demining operations in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. This self-propelled anti-mine plow, designed and produced by Uralvagonzavod, is depicted clearing a path through a minefield, wide enough for armored vehicles, specialized equipment, and civil engineering machinery to pass safely.
The vehicle in the footage is equipped with slat armor, commonly referred to as a "cope cage," designed to defend against drone attacks. Rostec highlights that the vehicle features "enhanced protection, including reactive armor," and mentions plans to develop a "fully unmanned system." They emphasize their past experience in creating a robotic sapper based on a multifunctional loader, which has reportedly been successfully tested.
However, Rostec appears to be forgetting or ignoring the fact that a similar unmanned demining system of its creation, the Prokhod-1, earlier showed unpromising performance in practice.
The Prokhod-1 has been under development since 2016, with contributions from the russian Signal Research Institute. The deminer is based on the same BMR-3M Vepr platform, with minimal to the general design modifications, but significant changes on the inside: to replace the crew, it got remote and automated control systems, which includes communication tools, and perimeter cameras. Its primary tool is the TMT-S mine roller.
In July 2022, russian media reported that the Prokhod-1 had been deployed in the war zone, even a video was published online, though it only revealed the system's shortcomings: the TMT-S plow constantly bounced off the ground — likely because the russians weren't able to ensure smooth operation in the robotic version of the system.
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For context, the BMR-3MA is based on the T-90A tank chassis but is designed with enhanced mine protection. The vehicle weighs 48 tons and can accommodate two crew members along with three soldiers in its passenger compartment.
Read more: russians Use Rare BMR-3MA Vepr Vehicle in Ukraine
