[News in War History] 'Terminator' Becoming Reality... Russia Deploys AI Tanks in Ukraine War

Russia Deploys Robot Tanks in Ukraine
Originating from Soviet 'Teletank' Developed in WWII
Concerns Over Autonomous 'Killer Robots' with ChatGPT Development

Editor's Note[News in War History] is a content series created to provide multifaceted perspectives on war and conflict news from around the world as it unfolds moment by moment. Through 'News,' we first examine the current situation; through 'History,' we analyze the hidden meanings behind the news; and we also offer 'Implications' for the near future. We visit you every Sunday and plan to publish a book after the 40th episode.

The Russian military’s AI combat robot tank called 'Marker,' which was sent to Ukraine in January for field testing, has reportedly been deployed in actual combat since last month, drawing global attention. Alongside 'ChatGPT,' which has recently become a hot topic in the AI field, this robot tank equipped with autonomous combat capabilities is being hailed as the real-life version of combat robots previously seen only in science fiction (SF) movies.

In particular, the Russian military claims that this tank can autonomously drive while simultaneously identifying friend or foe and deciding to attack enemy forces, which has further piqued interest. Although skepticism about its actual performance remains high, given its deployment on the deteriorating Ukrainian front lines, there is speculation that it might demonstrate unexpectedly superior capabilities.

This autonomous combat tank is said to have been influenced by the 'Teletank'?a radio-controlled tank developed by the former Soviet Union during World War II?and Russia is regarded as having a significant technological edge in this area. Defense industries worldwide, including those in the United States and Western countries, are racing to develop tanks and weapons equipped with such AI autonomous combat functions.

Following drones in aerial warfare, AI tanks are increasingly dominating ground battles, raising concerns about the emergence of large numbers of 'killer robots.' Since robots lack human emotions, their mass deployment on battlefields could make future wars even more brutal.

◆News: Russian Military Deploys Four AI Robot Tanks on Ukrainian Front

The Marker AI combat robot tank deployed by the Russian military in Ukraine. [Image source= Russian robotics manufacturer Androidnaya Tekhnika]

First, let’s look at the news about the Russian military’s AI tanks. According to Russia’s TASS news agency on the 8th (local time), the Russian military deployed four Marker AI tanks, which were sent to Ukraine for field training at the end of January, into actual combat on the Ukrainian front since the end of last month. The Russian military claims that these tanks can autonomously conduct reconnaissance, identify friend or foe, and attack enemy tanks.

The tank is a weapon developed since 2018 by Androidnaya Tekhnika, a Russian defense company specializing in military robots. It is known that the platform has undergone field tests to improve performance not only within Russia but also in major deployment areas such as the Syrian civil war.

According to the Russian military, the Marker robot tank is equipped with a 7.62mm machine gun and anti-tank missiles, and it can also operate military drones. It can immediately track and intercept enemy forces as well as various small drones within approximately 100 meters. The Russian military emphasizes that it has the capability to protect friendly soldiers while attacking enemy forces simultaneously.

Russian troops training with the AI combat robot tank Marker deployed in Ukraine. [Image source= Russian robot manufacturing company Androidnaya Tekhnika]

Weighing about 3 tons, it can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h and reportedly can travel 3,000 km on a single battery charge, according to the Russian military. It is also said to be remotely controllable from distances of about 5 km.

Even Western countries, which generally harbor skepticism about the combat capabilities of Russian weapons, express concerns that this AI tank might be unexpectedly powerful. This is because Russia was the first to conceive the concept of autonomous driving tanks and to build such tanks, accumulating substantial technological expertise.

◆History 1: Originating from the Soviet 'Teletank' Developed in 1939

The 'Teletank,' an unmanned remote-controlled tank developed in 1939 and deployed in battles against Nazi Germany during World War II. [Image source= Russian state-owned Sputnik News]

The first radio-controlled unmanned tank developed in Russia dates back to 1939 during World War II. The development itself originated from early tank models introduced from Britain and France during World War I in 1917. This unmanned tank demonstrated tremendous power in battles against Nazi Germany and was called the Teletank because it was operated via radio control.

According to Russia’s state-run Sputnik news agency, the Teletank could be controlled remotely within a range of 500 to 1,500 meters and was used in a variety of missions. The Teletank was equipped with machine guns, flamethrowers, smoke canisters, and sometimes time bombs covering the entire tank, serving not only to intercept enemy forces but also for reconnaissance and as a suicide weapon. It could deploy powerful explosives to destroy enemy trenches and underground bunkers. The Russian military reportedly produced and utilized over 10,000 Teletanks during World War II.

The primary reason this tank was widely used in the Soviet Union’s battles against Germany during World War II was the shortage of manpower in the Soviet army. At that time, the Soviet Union conscripted 35 million young men to counter the German offensive, but over 20 million died in early defeats, causing a severe shortage of troops.

As a result, when manpower to launch offensives against German forces became insufficient, thousands of Teletanks were simultaneously deployed to create the illusion of a massive armored force advancing. This psychological tactic dealt a significant blow to the morale of the German forces, whose fortunes had been declining since 1943.

◆History 2: Used in Middle Eastern Conflicts for Mine Clearance and Rescue Operations

The image shows the small AI robot tank 'Packbot,' which has been widely used for mine removal and search operations from the 2001 U.S. 9/11 terror attack survivor search to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. [Image source: U.S. Department of Defense website]

The unmanned robot tank, which had been forgotten for a while, was revived following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Middle Eastern wars. The robot called 'Packbot,' developed by iRobot, a robotics company founded in 1990, was the key player.

According to CNBC, Packbot was used for survivor searches immediately after the 9/11 attacks and was soon deployed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, where it played an active role. Over 2,000 units were deployed in the Middle East during the wars, primarily undertaking reconnaissance and explosive ordnance disposal missions. Some Packbot models were later upgraded and utilized in NASA’s Mars exploration robot development.

The U.S. military training with an AI robot tank. [Image source: U.S. Marine Corps website]

Recently, the U.S. military has been actively developing next-generation combat unmanned armored vehicles and AI combat tanks since 2018. As various combat robot tanks work alongside soldiers and undergo extensive field testing and data collection, fully autonomous combat robot tanks are expected to emerge. The U.S. Department of Defense plans to complete development by 2024.

The size of these vehicles is also increasing, with unmanned tanks weighing 20 to 30 tons?more than ten times heavier than Russia’s Marker?being developed. According to the land weapons specialist media ArmyRecognition.com, the U.S. Army conducted live-fire tests of the Remote Combat Vehicle-Medium (RCV-M) at Fort Dix in June 2021. The RCV-M is armed with a 30mm autocannon and an M240 machine gun and weighs over 20 tons. It is anticipated that large AI tanks comparable in size to the main battle tank M1 Abrams will also be developed in the future.

◆Implication: Controversy Over Autonomous 'Killer Robots' Expands Following ChatGPT’s Emergence

[Image source=Movie poster of 'Terminator']

The development of AI tanks has gained even more attention recently with the emergence of the AI chatbot ChatGPT. There are concerns that such technological advancements could hasten the arrival of killer robots that mass-murder humans, as depicted in science fiction films.

Last month, an international conference was held on this issue. Co-hosted by South Korea and the Netherlands, the 'Ministerial Meeting on Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (REAIM 2023)' took place in The Hague, Netherlands. It was a large-scale event attended by over 2,000 participants, including high-ranking officials from 60 countries, international organizations, and think tanks.

Notably, the participating countries issued a 'REAIM Call to Action' comprising 25 items, emphasizing adherence to international law and the avoidance of undermining international security in the development of AI technologies for military purposes.

The growing concern in the international community stems from the complete lack of ethical and international legal standards regarding the use of these AI robotic weapons introduced on battlefields. As the proportion of emotionless robots acting as soldiers increases, there is fear that they could indiscriminately kill civilians, causing unnecessary human casualties.

Voices calling for at least minimal standards to regulate the lethal actions of killer robots, whose numbers are expected to increase exponentially, are growing louder.