A ground-based robotic platform has been upgraded to carry and fire the Shmel rocket infantry flamethrower. The modification was carried out by servicemen from the radiation, chemical and biological protection troops of the Sever group of forces, an engineer-technician with the call sign Mekhan told RIA Novosti.

The idea to mount the Shmel on a robotic platform came from an RKhBZ unit of the 11th Army Corps. The system was assembled in a field workshop to support infantry and assault groups involved in expanding the security buffer zone in Kharkov Region.

Engineers also refined the platform’s design. It was fitted with guide rails that securely hold thermobaric charges and allow them to be launched either simultaneously or one after another. The upgraded ground robotic system can also be controlled via fiber-optic cable.

According to Mekhan, the modified platform is intended to strike enemy strongpoints and personnel sheltering in dugouts.

He also noted that, as assault units advance while the security buffer zone is being expanded, different types of attack drones are being used alongside them. Ground-based robotic systems have also become more common in the combat zone.