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| Marker combat UGV (Source: Wiki) |
The Marker robotic vehicle, developed by Androidnaya Tekhnika, a Russian robotics company, is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) designed for reconnaissance and destruction of enemy targets. Commissioned by the Russian research and development organisation Advanced Research Foundation, the Marker UGV was developed to provide advanced autonomous driving capabilities with AI-based object recognition. The platform’s development began in March 2018, and the company successfully completed its work on the Marker robotic platform project in January 2022. In February 2023, four Marker robots were deployed in Russia’s special operation zone in Ukraine.
The Marker robotic platform is designed to offer technical vision, communication, navigation, autonomous movement, and group control. Weighing 3t, it derives autonomous capabilities from a modular multi-spectral vision system, which uses neural network algorithms for data processing. The vehicle uses electronic pulses and suicide drones to combat incoming hostile UAVs and uses radio electronic jamming to disrupt drone signals and neutralise them.
The Marker platform is equipped with artificial intelligence
technologies, which help it recognise various types of intruders, including
unauthorised personnel, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and motor vehicles.
Its deep neural network technology is expected to continuously improve its
decision-making abilities. The Marker robotic platform can acquire complete
situational awareness of the surrounding area up to more than 100m, allowing
the operator to modify its movement without direct intervention.
The Marker robotic platform was developed with a unified payload module and a UAV cluster launch module. The tracked platform’s payload module is equipped with opto-electronic instruments and six independent rotation axes. The module can support two types of payloads, which can each be used independently. Marker has a rotatable combat module that can turn 540° in a second, improving its speed and accuracy. Marker has been developed in combat and reconnaissance variants. The combat variant can be equipped with anti-tank missile systems, coaxial heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and other weapons.
Marker has been tested successfully in Russia’s Central Military District in Chelyabinsk and at the Army-2020 International Military-Technical Forum. Tests to develop the Marker platform’s key technologies were carried out at the Vostochny launch site in October 2021. In December 2021, four platforms successfully passed the tests to move through a designated route and reach the destination in the Chelyabinsk region as part of acceptance testing.
On February 2, former Roscosmos Chief and head of the special military advisory group “Tsar’s Wolves,” Dmitry Rogozin, announced on his Telegram channel that four Marker robotic platforms have arrived in the Donbas region in the eastern Ukraine district. The Marker is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), which resembles a tank in appearance, if not in weapons. Among its features are a drone-launching casing and a turret with machine guns and anti-tank missiles. Rogozin also said that experts have begun testing algorithms for conducting warfare within a group of combat robots.
The deployment of the Marker robots in Ukraine has raised concerns about the use of autonomous weapons in warfare. The United Nations has called for a global ban on autonomous weapons to prevent a “world of terror, not peace.” Critics argue that the deployment of autonomous weapons poses a serious threat to civilians and increases the likelihood of conflicts escalating out of control.
In addition to the ethical concerns, the deployment of the Marker robots in Ukraine is likely to increase tensions between Russia and NATO. The United States and its NATO allies have expressed their concerns about the deployment of Russian weapons in Ukraine, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned Russia of severe consequences if it further escalates the conflict in Ukraine.
The deployment of Marker UGVs in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine raises concerns about the increasing use of autonomous weapons in warfare. There are several ethical and legal issues related to the use of autonomous weapons, particularly in terms of their ability to make decisions without human intervention.
One of the main concerns is the potential for autonomous weapons to cause unintended harm or violate international humanitarian law. Without human oversight, autonomous weapons could make mistakes or misinterpret situations, leading to civilian casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure. Additionally, the use of autonomous weapons could make it more difficult to hold individuals and states accountable for violations of international law.
There are also concerns about the impact of autonomous weapons on the future of warfare. Some experts worry that the development and deployment of autonomous weapons could lead to an arms race and a shift in the balance of power between nations. Others argue that the use of autonomous weapons could make it easier for states to engage in acts of aggression without facing consequences.
To address these concerns, there have been calls for increased regulation of autonomous weapons. The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of non-governmental organizations working to ban fully autonomous weapons, has called for a preemptive ban on the development and deployment of such weapons. Other organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, have called for greater transparency and accountability in the development and deployment of autonomous weapons.
In conclusion, the deployment of Marker UGVs in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine highlights the increasing use of autonomous weapons in warfare. While there are potential benefits to the use of autonomous weapons, such as reducing the risk to human soldiers, there are also significant ethical and legal concerns that need to be addressed. It is important for the international community to work together to develop appropriate regulations and guidelines to ensure that the use of autonomous weapons is consistent with international humanitarian law and human rights norms.