US military installs grenade launcher on AliExpress robot (video)
A soldier can now hide in cover and remotely shoot at enemy armored vehicles with the help of the Unitree Go1 dog robot.
The US Marine Corps has tested the Unitree Go1 robotic dog with a modified M72 grenade launcher mounted on the body to allow soldiers to fire at the enemy from a safe distance or from cover. This was reported by the military portal The Drive.
The Marine Corps does not disclose specific details about the robot dog and its tests. However, photos and videos published by the military show that the Chinese robot dog Unitree Go1, which is available for purchase by anyone on AliExpress or Amazon, was used as a test model. The cost of the model is about 160 thousand hryvnias.
It is interesting to note that the Marines call the design a “goat robot,” apparently because of the funny way the Unitree Go1 steps from “paw” to “paw,” which is more like a goat’s hooves, the publication writes.
The weapon system on the robot dog’s back consists of a mount designed to hold and fire an M72 series rocket launcher and a forward-facing GoPro camera. There are guides at various points that can be used to mount additional cameras, targeting lasers, and other accessories.
The test footage shows how the robotic launcher attached to the robot fires perfectly, albeit from a static position, supported by two sandbags. Apparently, for greater stability after recoil and for the safety of testers.
Photo: Screenshot
The Drive’s experts note that this particular demonstration apparently used the M72AS training grenade launcher, which fires a 21mm tracer round. It is designed to mimic the overall feel and characteristics of a typical M72 firing 66mm grenades. This is a rather old grenade launcher (developed in the 1960s), but very reliable and still popular in many armies around the world.
The military notes that it is interested in various robotic systems at the front, and the testing of such robotic dogs is designed to test how they can be used in combat. The Chinese robot was chosen as an inexpensive model to test the general concept of using such mechanisms, the military says. As Aaron Safadi, first lieutenant of the US Marine Corps, told the portal, such small robots can allow to fire at the enemy remotely while the infantryman operator is in a shelter, safe.
Such robots can be useful to the army in urban combat. There are dense buildings and large vehicles are easy targets, the military say. The use of small robots with small arms or heavier weapons gives the advancing troops a great advantage and saves soldiers’ lives, the military said after the tests.
