Iranian Army Is Testing Combat Robots

Iran’s army is testing combat robots and developing new models, according to a high-ranking army official.

Deputy Commander of the Army Ground Force, Brigadier General Nozar Nemati, told the Tehran Times, his troops began incorporating the devices into war games two months ago.

Newsweek reached out to the Iranian Mission to the United Nations for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Iran’s deployment of combat robots indicates that Tehran’s forces aspire to compete with rival nations militarily at the highest level possible. Tensions with the U.S. and Israel continue to increase in the face of President Donald Trump vowing to bring back his “maximum pressure” on Iran campaign and the possibility of an Israeli strike on nuclear sites.

What To Know

A range of combat robots were brought into “offensive” drills that Iran launched in the northeast of the country two months ago, involving artillery armored units, air assault teams, drone operators, electronic warfare units and missile groups, according to Brigadier General Nemati, who did not provide details of the combat robots being tested.

The war games, involving the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), the Army (Artesh), and the Coast Guard, are meant to simulate “counterterrorism operations, and practice intercepting bunker-buster attacks near its nuclear facilities in central and northern regions,” added the Tehran Times.

Iran’s combat robots include unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Tehran has produced the Heidar-1, a UGV developed for reconnaissance and sniping, as reported by Iran Press. It has also produced the Shahed-136 drone, a UAV or “kamikaze” drone, which has been used in Russia’s strikes on Ukraine.

Iran has also integrated artificial intelligence into its missile systems to improve the precision of their strikes in order to avoid “harming innocents,” according to Iran International.

On January 18, at an undisclosed location in the Persian Gulf, it also opened a new underground naval base, designed to house vessels capable of launching long-range missiles. Tehran’s armed forces has also received a delivery of 1,000 domestically produced drones with “advanced anti-fortification and stealth capabilities” and a range of 1,200 miles.

Iran is endeavoring to keep up with a global move toward robotics in the military. In its war with Russia, Ukraine’s combat unit known as Medoid deployed robot dogs, developed by British risk-management company and drone manufacturer Brit Alliance. Kyiv will also soon utilize a new droid fighter with a robotic system and mounted machine gun.

Russia has also invested in combat robots, utilizing AI to modernize its military technology in partnership with China, developing UGVs such as the Uran-9, a robot tank, Platform-M, a rocket strike system, and the Soratnik, a seven-ton drone tank.

Beijing has been developing its own autonomous military technology, such as “killer robots,” which are due to be combat-ready within the next two years.

The U.S. has also invested in the sector, through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Projects include the Legged Squad Support System (LS3) for soldiers, and Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency (RACER) program to improve UGVs, according to press releases from DARPA.

Israel is one of the leading producers of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), which have been designed to gather intelligence, monitor borders, and conduct missions, according to Israel Aerospace Industries.

Other countries investing in robotics include the U.K, South Korea, India, France and Germany, according to various reports.

What People Are Saying

Speaking of Iran’s effort to advance technology for combat purposes, both for offensive and defensive operations, Nemati said: “We are also designing and implementing connections between special forces and robots for future warfare while employing various attacking drones and an integrated system to counter enemy drones. These advancements reflect our commitment to developing cutting-edge technologies within the Army Ground Force.”

In a previous Op-Ed for the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin wrote: “The question for policymakers in Washington and among America’s Gulf allies is how Iranian acquisition of robotics and artificial intelligence technologies might impact basic assumptions about Iranian behavior and alter the regional military balance.”

What Happens Next

It is unknown at this time what exact conflict Iran is preparing for by conducting these drills, and with whom.