Ground drones at the front: profile of Russia's Kurier multi-purpose assault robot

When it comes to ground drones, Ukraine is clearly ahead, according to Ukrainian media reports: up to 15,000 unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) are expected to reach the front this year. Despite tripling production compared with the previous year, Russia has only around 1,500 systems. Among them, however, is the Kurier, a technologically very remarkable model.

From DIY project to series production

In its first phase, the Kurier project began at a company in Ulan-Ude. Support later came from the People's Front – a “Russian civic movement” founded in 2011 on the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin and intended to monitor how presidential directives are implemented.

Well-known military bloggers also joined the project, including Boris Rozhin (“Colonel Cassad”) and Chingis Dambiev. The robot received its name Kurier as well as its type designation HTPK (ground-based robotic complex), which remains valid to this day.

The HTPK Kurier was first shown publicly in early 2024, followed in April of the same year by a field trial in the Avdiivka area. 50 units went into the so-called “special operation zone” in October 2024. Since then, Kurier robots have repeatedly appeared in videos; monthly production of a similar order of magnitude seems plausible.

In the autumn, the developers called on inventors and engineers from all over Russia to contribute. The vehicles shown display repeatable manufacturing quality: the project has clearly left the DIY workshop behind and moved into industrial production.

The system was presented to President Putin at a meeting of the Military-Industrial Commission in St Petersburg. As with the Lancet drones before it, the Kurier is increasingly attracting the attention of major Russian media.

Technology: tracks, mine rails and Starlink

Measuring 1.4 metres long, 1.2 metres wide and 58 centimetres high, the Kurier weighs 250 kilograms. Two electric motors of 6 kW each accelerate it to up to 35 km/h. An operating time of 12 to 72 hours is stated.

Several communication variants appear to have emerged from the call to engineers. A radio link with a range of 3 to 10 kilometres and control via fibre-optic cable are documented. Particularly noteworthy is the now officially offered option of operating the robot via Starlink satellite internet.

The running gear consists of two rubber tracks, each with six road wheels, a drive sprocket and an idler. According to Russian sources and video footage, the design should at least survive hits from smaller anti-personnel mines. It is unclear whether this applies only to PFM-1 “butterfly mines” or also to more powerful models.

An electric winch is fitted at the front, and release rails run along both sides, each for four TM-62 or TM-83 anti-tank mines. Either a transport basket or a weapon module can be mounted above the rails.

A towing hitch sits at the rear. The control electronics are probably housed there too, along with the radio antenna, data antennas and several electro-optical and IR cameras. For the Starlink antenna, a radome is usually provided above the left-hand mine release rail. This module was first seen at the “Zapad-2025” exercise and is now being used at the front.

Armament of the ground drones

Weapons that are used or being tested include:

• AGS-17 Plamya and AGS-30 Atlant (30×29 millimetres, up to 150 rounds each)
• RPG shaped-charge launchers
• ATGM anti-tank guided missiles
• NSWT 12.7-millimetre machine gun (250 rounds)
• PKT 7.62 millimetres (900 rounds)
• RPO-A Shmel (single-use flamethrower)

New videos also show a laser module and concepts for use as an electronic warfare vehicle.

Logistics, mine clearance, fire support

At present, the Kurier is mainly used for front-line logistics. After loading, a small truck takes the robots to the drop-off point, from where they drive remotely to the troops, often towing a single-axle trailer. The Kurier has also been observed several times clearing minefields.

One image shows an armoured rescue capsule used to evacuate the wounded. Exercise videos, for example from “Zapad-2025”, show that the system serves as a fire-support platform; there have at least been tests at the front. Concepts have also been drawn up for using the Kurier as an electronic warfare carrier.

Depending on the operators' background, a few days of training are sufficient for logistics tasks. Like Ukraine, Russia is developing procedures to integrate UGVs deeply into combat operations and tactics. However, the trials at the front so far do not yet point to broad or standardised operational concepts.

Russia is nevertheless already promoting the system internationally: the Kurier was officially presented at the first Russian–Sri Lankan exercise “Wolverine Path 2025” in October.