Nothing says 2022 quite like this remote-controlled machine gun drone

The latest drone headed to Ukraine's beforehand lines isn't getting location by air. This 1 powers complete unsmooth terrain, equipped pinch a 7.62mm vessel instrumentality gun.

The GNOM (pronounced gnome), designed and built by a institution called Temerland, based successful Zaporizhzhia, won't beryllium going acold either. Next week it's scheduled to statesman combat tests successful its location city, which sits successful southeastern Ukraine and has faced periods of rocket attacks and much since nan opening of nan war.

Measuring conscionable nether 2 feet successful length, a mates inches little successful width (57cm L х 60cm W x 38cm H), and weighing astir 110lbs (50kg), GNOM is mini for illustration its namesake. It's besides designed to run quietly, pinch an all-electric centrifugal that drives its 4x4 wheels. This peculiar exemplary forgoes stealth successful favour of a instrumentality gun, but Temerland said it's quiet capable to "conduct covert surveillance utilizing a information study camera connected a telescopic mast."

GNOM is besides trying to get astir nan problem of some Russia and Ukraine utilizing power jammers to sound aerial drones out of nan sky, an rumor that Forbes said has been increasing arsenic lines of conflict stabilize. In lieu of power control, GNOM opts for a astir 5km spool of fiber-optic cablegram to get signals from its operators. If nan cablegram is severed, GNOM is programmed to return to a group of GPS coordinates for pickup.

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Aerial drones are everyplace successful warfare, but ground-based distant vehicles haven't developed alongside them. There's plentifulness of reasons why – offroad recreation difficulties being only 1 of them. Other communal misgivings that sidelined ground-based combat drones  include arming them, nan information of soldiers operating pinch them, and their efficacy. While taking various forms, those concerns remain today.

Temerland's instrumentality weapon GNOM is conscionable 1 configuration. CEO Eduard Trotsenko told Forbes that different configurations switch retired nan weapon for "logistics, intelligence gathering, sabotage and engineering" modules. 

In summation to being capable to clasp an automatic gun, GNOM tin besides beryllium outfitted to remotely move and detonate anti-tank mines. Non-combat subject support applications see acting arsenic a outer for larger robotics platforms, serving arsenic a power repeater, delivering instrumentality and supplies, and evacuating wounded. 

Forbes said Ukraine has different distant systems, but GNOM will beryllium nan first uncrewed crushed conveyance to return nan field. Reports propose that Russia has besides deployed its ain UGV, nan Uran-6, which is utilized to disarm mines. ®