Russia's "Zubilo": A new unmanned vehicle enters the fray in Ukraine

After a series of tests, the Russians have decided to start sending a completely new, unmanned vehicle to Ukraine - Zubilo. Although information about it has appeared in the public space for several months, its exact specifications and equipment details remain somewhat ambiguous.

Among other things, the BulgarianMilitary portal reported on Zubilo's enhancement of the Russian armed forces fighting in Ukraine. As noted on its pages, Zubilo's intended purpose diverges from the roles of traditional military vehicles. The machine is not a standard armoured transporter and cannot be called an advanced robot capable of fully autonomous operation. It appears to be something in between.

The available information shows that the standard Zubilo variant is equipped with a 350 hp engine, enabling the whole structure to accelerate to speeds of even 100 km/h. At the same time, with a weight of about 16 tons, Zubilo can overcome selected terrain obstacles, including 30-degree inclines. The front armour is supposed to provide protection against 30 mm calibre gunfire.

Additionally, Zubilo is capable of transporting about 3 tons of additional cargo. However, this value may vary depending on the combat module used. For instance, the Russians plan to install anti-aircraft sets such as the ZU-23-2 in this role.

Zubilo first made a significant appearance at the Army 2023 trade show, where it was presented. Łukasz Michalik, a journalist for Virtual Poland, then highlighted a major concern related to the new Russian vehicle - its unmanned nature. The complete lack of sensors raised great doubts. Devoid of cameras or optoelectronic heads, Zubilo seemed not to offer high combat value and to doom the remote operator to using a very imprecise vehicle.

The extent to which the Russians have been able to refine this technology over the past year remains uncertain. It is known that they have high hopes for Zubilo, viewing it even as a "docking station" for their drones. The war in Ukraine has brutally verified many Russian announcements, and more can be said about Zubilo after its initial deployment at the front.