Posted on 03/20/2018 10:20:16 PM PDT by texas booster
China is testing driverless tanks which could be equipped with artificial intelligence, a state-run newspaper reported on Wednesday, as the country continues with its military modernisation programme.
State television showed images this week of the unmanned tanks undergoing testing, the Global Times reported.
Footage showed a Type 59 tank being driven by remote control, in what the paper said was the first time a Chinese-made unmanned tank has been shown in a public forum.
The Type 59 tank is based on an old Soviet model first used in China in the 1950s and has been produced in large numbers and has a long service life, it said.
“A large number of due-to-retire Type 59 tanks can be converted into unmanned vehicles if equipped with artificial intelligence,” Liu Qingshan, the chief editor of Tank and Armoured Vehicle, told the newspaper.
Driverless tanks will be able to work with other unmanned equipment and integrate information from satellites, aircraft or submarines, the report added.
China is in the middle of a major modernisation programme for its armed forces, including building stealth fighters and new aircraft carriers, as President Xi Jinping looks to assert the country’s growing power.
China's Type 59 is based on the Soviet T-54A tank, which was shipped to China in the 1950s. It can be armed with a 100mm or 105mm cannon and requires a crew of four to operate it, Sputnik News reported on Sunday.
Unmanned tanks are part of the concept of "contactless combat" aided with aggressive intelligent weapons.
In future, unmanned tanks will be able to work on other unmanned platforms, and also integrate information sourced from surveillance satellites, airplanes or submarines.
They will also be capable of continuous combat with greater speed and higher lethality, Liu said. However, Liu added that the unmanned Type 59 based tanks are still in their test phase.
Although the CCTV footage shows the country has managed to operate tanks using remote control, there are still many technical problems that need to be resolved before they can achieve the same combat capabilities as manned tanks.
If not used today, it will be iteratively improved until quality matches quantity.
Then the war begins.
They don”t have to program them to avoid people.
It’s safe to say you can program the exact opposite of Uber vehicles.
I expect they will still need to be refueled from time to time.
No crew means it can be powered by nuclear RTGs or other options. Might be a while before you have to refuel them.
The the war becomes even more of a logistical war, hunting reloaders and refuellers.
EMP...bye bye tank...
Chinese do not care about losing soldiers in a war. They have lots of them
Any resemblance to some eschatological wars is purely coincidental, or not? But they sure look like a great solution to dealing with the commute traffic. ! Where can I get one?
I know this. My dad fought in the
forgotten war. Stories of bodies
piled up for protection.
Attempting to catch up with the US.....RIPSAW.
Steve Jackson Games should sue. If the Chinese make them big enough, they will be Ogres. Just cover them with biphase carbide armor...
Where would they use them? The USA excels at delivering weapons around the world. Same can't be said of China, at least not yet. China could perhaps move them into Korea, India, maybe to Taiwan or Japan. Well, Japan would repel any delivery. I don't think we need to worry about China using tanks against us on our shores.
Hahaha. Nice.
Wouldn't expended ammo and need to resupply be a larger concern ?
BS! You’re using an aimbot!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.