Turkey unveils ZMA‑X: Revolutionizing robotic warfare

According to the portal TurDef, the ZMA-X, presented at TEKNOFEST 2024, is the third Turkish land robot, following FNSS's Shadow Rider and Otokar's Alpar. Combat robots assist infantry soldiers by providing fire support and reconnaissance capabilities in challenging terrain.

All major players, from China to Russia, European countries, and the United States, are exploring this direction, experimenting with remotely controlled vehicle variants already in service or entirely new designs.

ASELSAN used the base of the widely used ACV-15 armoured personnel carrier in Turkey, which weighs approximately 14 metric tonnes and is an evolution of the famous American M113. The NEFER turret was mounted on it.

This was equipped with a 25mm automatic cannon, effective against a wide range of targets at a distance of up to 30 kilometres, as demonstrated by the combat effectiveness of M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles in Ukraine.

ASELSAN's design allows for using these armoured personnel carriers, which do not provide great crew protection, for hazardous assault tasks where losses are inevitable. Turkey has over 2000 units in its inventory. A good example of where such remotely operated vehicles would be valuable is the beginning of the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive in the summer of 2023.

Attacking narrow paths through minefields under artillery and anti-tank guided missile fire is a nightmare that always results in losses. In contrast, remotely operated robots are not as valuable as human lives.

The Turkish robot's radio control range remains unknown. In addition to cameras, it is apparent that the ZMA-X has additional armour plates that are likely to protect the key drive and electronic elements and LIDARs that significantly increase situational awareness around the vehicle. The operation of such a vehicle does not differ much from, for example, Strykers with a remotely controlled weapon turret from inside, and the operation is safe a few kilometres away.