Belarus displays Bogomol anti-tank UGV

Date Posted: 24-May-2017
Author: Nikolai Novichkov, Minsk
Publication: Jane's Defence Weekly

The Belarusian defence industry exhibited the Bogomol anti-tank unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) at the MILEX 2017 exhibition in Minsk this month and released more details about the system.

A representative of the Belarusian Belspetsvneshtekhnika state arms export agency told Jane's the system is intended to engage tanks and other AFVs, hovering helicopters and field fortifications.
The Bogomol combat UGV is based on a small tracked chassis that features a high degree of cross-country mobility and can be wirelessly controlled from a range of up to 300 m. It has a fully laden weight of 800 kg (with a fuel supply giving a range of 100 km or 24 hours of continuous operation), a height in combat mode of 1.7 m and a cross-country speed of at least than 5 km/h.
The UGV is armed with four ready-to-launch Shershen anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) featuring automatic laser beam-riding guidance. The system can launch the missiles in both automatic and manual modes out to a range of 4,000 m.

A continuously operating search-and-detection device on the vehicle can detect a 2 m2 target and a human-type target at distances of up to 5,000 m and 2,000 m respectively.

COMMENT
The Bogomol is a new Belarusian development in the unmanned ground systems area. An official from Belspetsvneshtekhnika declined to give details on the status of the programme, but pointed out that the system is intended for both the Belarusian armed forces and for export.The system's Shershen ATGMs can be replaced with Fagot, Konkurs, or Metis missiles, which offer alternative guidance systems to the Shershen.In recent years Belarus has contributed to the development of various self-propelled anti-tank systems, both manned and unmanned ones. Almost all such systems are armed with the Shershen ATGM, which was developed by the Minsk-based SRPC company.