MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. High Precision Systems Holding Company (part of the state tech corporation Rostec) will demonstrate an upgraded version of the MGR-4 Shmel robotic mine-clearing vehicle at the upcoming Army 2023 international military-technical forum, the Rostec press office reported on Friday.

The robotic vehicle has been upgraded after its testing at a proving ground of the Emergencies Ministry. The vehicle lacks a cabin and all manual control systems, it said.

"The Prometei [hardware and software robotized] system used in the mine-clearing vehicle is distinguished by its high reliability. The control panel has been improved to become more user-friendly and the time of its operation has been extended. Changes have also been made to the mine-clearing robot’s operational tool. The upgraded version uses a mine sweep with its soil loosening depth capacity increased to 250mm while the shape of its striking hammers has been changed and the chain length has been adjusted. A new scheme of moving the sweep over the earth has been introduced: in its float position, it follows terrain features," Rostec elaborated.

The latest mine-clearing robotic vehicle engineered by the Kovrov Electro-Mechanical Plant and the Signal All-Russian R&D Institute (both are integrated into High Precision Systems Holding Company) was unveiled at the Comprehensive Security 2023 exhibition. It is based on the Ant 1000 mini-loader and is furnished with a hydraulic winch and a chain hammer sweep and is designed to detect and eliminate anti-personnel mines. As Rostec Industrial Director for the Armaments, Ammunition and Special Chemistry Cluster Bekkhan Ozdoyev said, the robotic vehicle will be primarily needed in new Russian regions.

The Army 2023 international military-technical forum will run at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center, the Alabino training ground and the Kubinka airfield outside Moscow on August 14-20. Over 60 states have confirmed the participation of their official military delegations in the forum.

The forum’s scientific and business program will include over 300 events to focus on the development of Russia’s armed forces and its defense industry and international military-technical cooperation, taking into account present-day realities. The forum will be open to specialists, foreign delegations and events under the scientific and business program on August 15-17. It will be open to the public on August 18-20. TASS is the forum’s strategic media partner.