Russia’s Kurier unmanned ground platform, widely used by Russian forces in the special military operation zone, is built to handle both combat and support missions. The tracked robot can engage targets, lay and clear mines, transport supplies and help evacuate wounded troops. Operators can control the vehicle from a smartphone, and its capabilities were demonstrated at the Technoprom exhibition.

Kurier was developed by the Kaps production enterprise together with specialists from the Omsk Automotive and Armored Engineering Institute. Its operating range exceeds 10 km, while commands can be transmitted through a fiber-optic link, a mobile network or a radio channel.

The platform can be fitted with different combat modules depending on the mission. Available weapons include the AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher, the PKT machine gun and the 12.7 mm NSVT heavy machine gun. Kurier can covertly lay mines on roads, carry out diversionary maneuvers and strike enemy targets with direct fire.

Vyacheslav Kalabin, a cadet at the Omsk institute, corporal and member of the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators, told TASS that the robot can be sent out at night to mine an area before enemy forces reach it. The platform can also carry non-weapon modules, including smoke-laying equipment and a laser system designed for mine clearance.

For battlefield observation, Kurier is equipped with a thermal imager and cameras providing all-round visibility. It can also deploy TM-62 anti-tank mines.

Nurjan Rakimzhanov, a representative of the Omsk branch of the All-Russian Society of Inventors and Innovators, described Kurier as the most widely produced and most actively used combat robot at present. The developers did not disclose how many units are deployed on the front line but said the system is extensively used in the combat zone.

The platform’s capabilities can be expanded with the Trojan transforming trailer. Attached to Kurier, it can carry cargo or military personnel. Its width can be adjusted, allowing smaller robotic systems to be transported covertly under a cover. Before a mission, they can roll off the trailer using folding ramps.

At Technoprom, the developers also demonstrated Kurier being used to evacuate wounded personnel directly from the battlefield.