Military Robots now part of armed forces roster
In a significant shift towards modern warfare, the Kazakhstan Armed Forces have incorporated robots into their ranks, enhancing their capabilities and saving valuable human resources.
One of the land robots in use is the Eye Drive, a lightweight, remotely-controlled machine weighing just three kilograms. The Eye Drive robot is designed for complex and dangerous combat tasks, conducting video and audio reconnaissance of hard-to-reach objects and areas. Its range in open terrain exceeds 300 meters, making it an invaluable asset in various operational scenarios.
The Eye Drive robot demonstrated its combat capabilities during the 'Combat Lead' operation in 2000 and was tested in combat in the Republic of Chechnya and South Ossetia.
In the aquatic domain, the Kazakhstan Armed Forces use the K-Ster-I robot-inspector, based on a minesweeper. The K-Ster-I robot explores the seabed landscape, finds explosive objects, and transmits their coordinates, enabling units to act swiftly and safely. The K-Ster-C vehicles, another underwater countermeasure robot, can destroy underwater mines at depths up to 300 meters.
The use of these robots saves time and resources, as they can operate up to a kilometer away from the carrier ship and allow visual inspection through a video camera in the operation mode.
While there is a significant Russian drone manufacturing presence near Kazakhstan, no direct evidence is found in the current sources that Kazakhstan’s armed forces are using robots for land or underwater military operations, nor are there examples or details of specific robotic platforms and their historical uses in Kazakhstan, beyond the K-Ster-C and K-Ster-I vehicles.
However, it is worth noting that Turkey's defense firm Roketsan unveiled the KOZ robot dog, a four-legged unmanned ground vehicle armed with four laser-guided METE mini-rockets and electro-optical systems. It operates remotely or autonomously, designed for reconnaissance and attack on difficult terrain, with a continuous operation time of up to 2.5 hours.
Similarly, Ukrainian forces are increasingly deploying unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) like the "Ravlyk" and "Protector" to perform a variety of battlefield tasks such as direct combat, supply delivery, evacuation, mine-laying, and demolition in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
As defense intelligence continues to evolve, it is possible that more up-to-date information about Kazakhstan’s use of robots in military operations may become available. For now, the Kazakhstan Armed Forces continue to leverage these advanced technologies to maintain a strong and modern fighting force.
The Kazakhstan Armed Forces are expanding their modern warfare capabilities by leveraging advanced technologies, as shown by their use of the Eye Drive robot for complex combat tasks and the K-Ster-I and K-Ster-C robots for underwater operations.
The Kazakhstan Armed Forces could potentially incorporate more technologies, like the KOZ robot dog and Ukrainian UGVs, into their ranks in the future to enhance their operational capabilities.
