Machine gun-wielding robot dogs are better sharpshooters, claims study

“Urban warfare, encompassing anti-terrorism operations, hostage rescue missions, and the clearance of streets and buildings alike, has steadily risen to prominence as a fundamental facet of contemporary conflict,” the Chinese researchers explained.

He is also a vice-president of the Chinese Light Weapons Society. While other nations, notably the United States, have also been experimenting with gun-armed robotic dogs, the study suggests that U.S. trials may not be the best way to assess their potential.

Robotic dog machine gun fire support

To test their claims, Xu’s team installed a 7.62mm machine gun on the back of an unnamed domestically produced quadruped robot dog. The chosen firearm, also not identified, the gun could fire up to 750 rounds per minute.

Additionally, the weapon was equipped with an optoelectronic sight, a shock-absorbing mount, and an automatic reloading system. To assess the precision and accuracy of the setup, the robotic dog was ordered to fire 10-round bursts at a human-sized target standing 328 feet (100 meters) away. The results were fascinating.

After multiple shooting rounds, the half-dispersion radius was approximately 2 inches (5cm). This is the maximum distance between the target’s center and the five closest bullet holes. This is impressive and rivals the accuracy of standard small arms commonly used by the United States Army, like the M4.

This means that the robot dog-come-weapon-platform can lay down precise fire with a weapon renowned for its violent recoil and rapid rate of fire. For this reason, machine guns are usually employed for suppressive fire on the battlefield.

Impressive, but how was this achieved? According to the research team, they have developed a special weapon mount specifically designed for the task. This contrasts with American attempts that, in effect, just strap a weapon to the back of the robot dog.

Huge implications for urban warfare

The weapon mount developed by the team is specifically designed to enable the gun to point freely while absorbing recoil to minimize muzzle jumping during sustained firing. The team believes that China’s expertise in designing and building robotic dogs also gives them an advantage in this area.

This lack of knowledge hampers U.S. efforts to perform a similar task, as they use imported units. Since China knows how to make them, the team had something of an “insider knowledge” of how best to design the gun mount and integrate it into the robot dog, reports the SCMP.

If the findings are true, this could prove revolutionary for urban warfare, which is renowned for high casualty rates.

“The urban landscape, with its maze of intersecting streets and towering edifices packed tightly together, poses unique challenges for unmanned combat platforms. These platforms must negotiate unstructured terrain and execute intricate actions such as maneuvering, scaling, and leaping – rendering traditional wheeled and tracked designs inadequate,” added the team.

“Quadruped platforms, based on bionic principles, can use independent ground support points to provide enhanced mobility and adaptability in complex urban combat environments,” the team concluded.