Humanitarian demining vehicle MGR-4 "Shmel"
MGR-4 mine clearing vehicle at the Army-2023 forum
A few months ago, Russian industry first presented a promising robotic complex designated as the MGR-4 Shmel “humanitarian demining vehicle.” To date, this product has passed the first stage of testing and confirmed all the main technical and performance characteristics. In the future, the new RTK may be of interest to the armed forces and the Ministry of Emergency Situations and enter service with the relevant units.
Perspective development
The MGR-4 “Bumblebee” product is a joint development of the Kovrov Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ) and the VNII “Signal” (both organizations are part of the “High-Precision Complexes” holding of the Rostec State Corporation). An experienced anti-mine demining system of this type was first shown at the Integrated Security exhibition in May 2023, and then presented at Army-2023.
On October 23, Rostec published a new issue of its proprietary program “Our Crash”, dedicated to the “Bumblebee” project. The operation of the complex and its various capabilities were demonstrated in video format. In addition, the press service of the State Corporation published an interview with the director of production of road construction and agricultural equipment at KEMZ, Kirill Fudiman. The company representative disclosed history creation of the project, its features and successes.
According to K. Fudiman, work on a humanitarian demining machine began back in 2016. At that time, KEMZ was looking for new niches for the use of manufactured mini-loaders, and then the idea arose to give such equipment the functions of engineering machines. It was proposed to equip the loader with a replaceable working element in the form of a trawl.
Loader Ant-1000 - the basis for "Bumblebee"
KEMZ independently developed a chain impact mine trawl and tested it. Due to the lack of necessary experience, the design was unsuccessful and had to be seriously reworked. Then work on the demining vehicle slowed down and actually stopped.
In the recent past, the situation in the world and the country has changed. New territories have emerged that need humanitarian clearing. In this regard, KEMZ returned to the old project, again revised its main provisions, completed the development and built experimental equipment for testing. This is how the MGR-4 “Bumblebee” RTK appeared in its current form.
To date, “Bumblebee” has passed factory tests aimed at testing the design and determining real characteristics. Particular attention was paid to issues of survivability and stability. In particular, they conducted a separate test with the detonation of an anti-personnel mine with a 200-g charge. The shock wave caused damage to the caterpillar track and one of the rollers, but the vehicle as a whole remained operational.
Technical features
The MGR-4 “Bumblebee” engineering vehicle is based on the serial Ant-1000 “Ant” mini-loader, also developed and manufactured by KEMZ. When designing a new product, we tried to preserve the maximum of components and assemblies, and also make do with the development of only the most necessary components.
Option to equip the Ant loader with a trawl
In addition, we implemented an interesting approach to the selection of construction materials. Thus, “Bumblebee” is made entirely of structural steel and has no armor elements. The chassis is equipped with solid polyurethane tires. Tests have shown that such parts can cope with the design loads during detonation, and their reinforcement is not required. This results in significant savings in production.
The Ant-1000 loader is a typical representative of its class and has an appropriate design. This is a compact (hull length - 2,9 m) and lightweight (operating weight 3,5 tons) machine, capable of lifting and transporting a load weighing 1 or 1,2 tons (with a counterweight). The loader is equipped with an 85 hp engine. with a hydrostatic transmission that allows the drive wheels to rotate in any direction to make a turn. The hydraulic system also provides the drive of the U-shaped boom and the operation of the installed working element. It is possible to install various equipment.
When being converted into a robotic mine clearance vehicle, the Ant lost its standard cabin. Instead, a smaller casing was mounted on the chassis to house the remote control system. It was developed by the VNII “Signal” on the basis of the “Prometheus” system, used in a number of modern RTKs for various purposes. The system includes a forward-looking video camera, a set of sensors and controls, as well as communication devices.
The Bumblebee control system communicates with the operator's console via a two-way radio channel. The operator receives camera images and telemetry from the machine and sends back commands for operation. The remote control itself is designed as a compact portable device and is easy to use. The communication range of the components is up to 1 km.
Experienced "Bumblebee"
The working body of the MGR-4 RTK is a chain impact trawl, which ensures the neutralization of a continuous passage with a width of approx. 2 m. The trawl is built according to the traditional scheme for such devices. There is a wide housing that is mounted on the loader boom and protects the machine from dust, fragments and shock waves. Inside the housing there is a rotor with strikers on short chains. When the rotor rotates, the strikers literally plow the soil to a depth of 250 mm.
The trawl is designed to neutralize anti-personnel mines or other ammunition with a relatively small charge - the impact of the striker destroys and/or detonates such a device. Thanks to this, “Shmel” can fight the entire range of domestic and foreign anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, certain types of projectiles, etc. Heavier ammunition with a larger charge can damage the RTK.
The maximum speed of the platform loader reaches 14 km/h. When trawling, in order to identify and neutralize all dangerous objects, a lower speed must be maintained. Movement across terrain is carried out on a “combined” chassis: two tracks are installed on top of four wheels. If one of the tapes is destroyed, the RTK may lose its ability to clear mines, but retains its mobility.
Pending order
Currently, engineering units of the Russian army and mine action units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are engaged in clearing the liberated territories of Donbass and new regions from explosive objects. These tasks are solved by specialists, with the assistance of service dogs and/or with the use of special equipment. The most effective and productive means of demining is now the Uran-6 RTK.
According to known data, several such complexes are now operating in the liberated territories, and they are gradually getting rid of existing threats. At the same time, it takes a lot of time to completely clear farmland and other territories with the available forces and means. In this regard, KEMZ is ready to offer its assistance to the army and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The development plant believes that its MGR-4 “Bumblebee” may be of interest to both structures involved in mine clearance. Thus, with fairly high performance and performance characteristics, this sample is characterized by low cost, ease of production and the possibility of mass production without significant effort and loss of time.
According to KEMZ specialists, the sapper units of our country may require up to 4 thousand mine clearance RTCs. This amount of equipment will allow us to clear all hazardous areas within a limited time and return them to normal use. Probably, such calculations also took into account the need to create a certain reserve in case of loss of equipment.
It is unknown whether the expectations of the development organization will be met. Its RTK "Shmel" really has high performance and should be easy to use, which is an undoubted advantage. At the same time, the MGR-4 machine is a proactive development and was created without taking into account the requirements of a potential customer - this can complicate the process of promotion and obtaining contracts. However, the resulting sample has already passed the first stage of testing, which in itself says a lot.
The simplicity course
The commercial prospects of the new robotic complex for humanitarian mine clearance MGR-4 “Shmel” remain unknown. However, its technical appearance is of some interest. It is easy to see that the specialized engineering vehicle was assembled mainly from available components and systems. Only the trawl and some other parts had to be developed from scratch.
Such simplification of the project provides well-known advantages and is interesting to the developer and potential customer. In addition, the Bumblebee project shows that the development of equipment for the army, at least in certain classes, can be carried out not only by specialized defense enterprises. And thanks to this approach, it will be possible to quickly meet the needs of troops and other structures.
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