Russia Reveals New Unmanned T-72B3M Shturm Variant with Twin 30mm BMPT-Style Combat Module.

Russia publicly demonstrated two T-72B3M-based uncrewed armored vehicles during the Center-2026 exercise, including a previously unseen BMPT-type configuration, according to Uralvagonzavod’s October 2 account. The appearance of both tank and BMPT combat modules shows Russia is expanding Shturm from a robotic assault tank into a heavier remotely operated combat family designed to support troops in high-risk frontline fighting.

The BMPT-type vehicle adds a dedicated fire-support option alongside the Shturm variant armed with a shortened 125 mm gun. This modular approach could allow Russian forces to combine direct-fire, suppression, and assault-support roles while reducing crew exposure in heavily defended urban areas and other dangerous close-combat environments.

Related Topic: Russia Tests T-72B3M-Based Shturm Robotic Tank to Deliver 125mm Firepower in High-Risk Frontline Assaults

Russia publicly demonstrated T-72B3M-based uncrewed armored vehicles with tank and BMPT combat modules during the Center-2026 exercise, signaling the expansion of the Shturm concept into a modular robotic combat family (Picture Source: Russian State Media / Federal Institute of Industrial Property)

On October 2, 2026, Russia publicly demonstrated T-72B3M-based uncrewed armored vehicles during the active phase of the Center-2026 strategic exercise at the Chebarkul training ground in the Chelyabinsk region. Among the vehicles displayed was a second Shturm-related configuration carrying a BMPT-style combat module that appears to represent the first publicly documented sighting of a previously patented unmanned turret installed on an actual vehicle. Uralvagonzavod confirmed that T-72B3M-based uncrewed combat vehicles equipped with both tank and BMPT combat modules provided fire support to assault units during the exercise. The appearance is significant because it suggests that Russia is progressing from individual robotic tank demonstrators toward a broader family of specialized heavy uncrewed combat vehicles.

Two Combat Modules Point to a Broader Robotic Assault Vehicle Family

Army Recognition Group previously reported on October 4 that Center-2026 included a T-72B3M-based Shturm robotic assault vehicle associated with a shortened 125 mm main gun and intended to provide protected direct fire during demanding frontline assault operations. The BMPT-style vehicle displayed during the same exercise adds an important second configuration to this picture. Uralvagonzavod's own account specifically stated that uncrewed vehicles based on the T-72B3M chassis were equipped with two types of combat modules: a tank module and a BMPT module. Both were used to support assault units. That distinction matters because it indicates that the BMPT-module vehicle formed part of the robotic vehicle family demonstrated at Center-2026 rather than simply being a conventional crewed BMPT operating alongside the Shturm system. Uralvagonzavod separately stated that a BMPT named Spiridon provided cover during the exercise, further distinguishing the conventional BMPT from the uncrewed BMPT-module platform.

The second Shturm configuration marks a more distinctive evolution of the Russian BMPT fire-support concept, combining familiar firepower with a fundamentally different unmanned turret architecture that eliminates the need for commander and gunner positions inside the combat module. Russian reporting associates the vehicle with a twin 30 mm automatic cannon installation, closely matching earlier descriptions of one of the planned Shturm configurations. The vehicle shown during Center-2026 also appears with a substantial dozer blade, a feature consistent with the wider Shturm concept for operating around barricades, rubble, fortifications and other obstacles encountered during close assault operations. The result should not be understood simply as an unmanned copy of the existing BMPT Terminator. Instead, it appears to be a purpose-developed uncrewed fire-support configuration built around the T-72 family and adapted to the requirements of the Shturm robotic assault program.

From Patent Drawings to a Physical Shturm Combat Vehicle

The Center-2026 appearance is particularly significant because the turret shows a close correspondence with a design documented in Russian patent material before the exercise, providing a rare and potentially important link between an earlier conceptual configuration and a physical vehicle now seen in public. The relevant Federal Institute of Industrial Property, or FIPS, document carries identifier F819C9AF-A253-4AA5-A22B-5F44EA895048. Contemporary Russian analysis of the patent drawings associated the design with the Heavy Robotic Assault Complex Shturm and identified a BMPT-inspired combat module built around a notably lower-profile unmanned turret architecture. With no requirement to accommodate commander and gunner stations inside the module, the available internal volume can instead be dedicated to the weapon system, ammunition, sensors, control equipment and associated mechanisms. Analysis of the patent drawings also points to what appears to be a single combined electro-optical sighting unit, together with extensive external protection around the combat module.

The patented configuration showed additional protective measures that included Relikt-type explosive reactive armor elements and provisions for cage or mesh structures intended to provide additional protection against FPV-type unmanned aerial threats. These features should be treated carefully when assessing the Center-2026 vehicle: patent drawings describe a proposed configuration and do not by themselves confirm that every protection element, sensor or subsystem has been installed in exactly the same form on the exercise vehicle. Nevertheless, the similarities between the patented concept and the vehicle now seen in public, including its low-profile uninhabited turret, paired automatic cannon arrangement and extensive external protection, suggest that at least part of the earlier design work has progressed into a physical demonstrator or test vehicle. Before Center-2026, earlier reporting had already indicated plans to adapt T-72-series chassis to accommodate this type of BMPT-style robotic combat module.

A Modular Robotic Assault Family Takes Shape

The appearance of both configurations at Center-2026 also helps clarify the wider engineering logic behind Shturm. Rather than developing a single robotic tank intended to perform every mission, the program appears to be exploring a common heavy tracked platform capable of accepting specialized combat modules. The 125 mm configuration offers high-caliber direct fire against hardened positions and armored targets, while the BMPT-style configuration could provide a higher volume of medium-caliber fire in support of assault formations and against a broader range of battlefield targets. Retaining the T-72B3M chassis also offers an established automotive base while allowing development efforts to concentrate on remote control, electro-optical observation, communications, protection and uninhabited weapon stations. These vehicles are more accurately described as remotely operated or uncrewed armored systems rather than fully autonomous combat vehicles, since the available reporting indicates that human operators remain central to their control and weapons employment.

Center-2026 provides an important new reference point for assessing Russia's Shturm heavy robotic assault program. The previously reported 125 mm T-72B3M-based vehicle demonstrated the concept of transferring tank-level direct-fire capability to an uncrewed forward platform, while the newly observed BMPT-style configuration extends the same approach toward a more diversified robotic combat vehicle family. Most significantly, the exercise appears to provide the first publicly documented imagery of a BMPT-style unmanned Shturm turret, previously known principally through patent material, installed on a physical vehicle. The combination of twin automatic cannon armament, a compact uninhabited turret, extensive external protection and obstacle-clearing equipment suggests a platform intended for sustained fire-support and demanding assault missions rather than a direct replacement for a conventional main battle tank. Its eventual operational importance will depend on the maturity of its sensors, communications resilience, protection systems and command architecture, but Center-2026 indicates that the BMPT branch of the Shturm concept has progressed beyond drawings and into the physical demonstrator or test-vehicle stage.

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Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.