VOP CZ Equips TAROS V4 4x4 Unmanned Ground Vehicle with Australian EOS Slinger Counter-Drone System.

VOP CZ has unveiled its TAROS V4 4x4 unmanned ground vehicle armed with the EOS Slinger counter-drone system at Future Forces Forum 2026 in Prague on 21 October. The pairing brings mobile drone-killing firepower onto a robotic platform designed to keep troops out of high-risk combat zones. With a 1,000 kg payload capacity, autonomous operation and amphibious mobility, TAROS V4 can carry weapon systems into difficult terrain without a crew onboard. Equipped with Slinger, it offers a new approach to mobile counter-drone protection for frontline forces.

VOP CZ showcased its TAROS V4 4x4 unmanned ground vehicle armed with the EOS Slinger counter-drone weapon system at Future Forces Forum 2026 in Prague, highlighting a mobile approach to defeating aerial threats while reducing soldiers' exposure to danger (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group)

VOP CZ has presented one of the most operationally relevant combinations of unmanned ground mobility and kinetic counter-drone firepower seen at the Prague defense exhibition with its TAROS V4 4x4 carrying the Australian EOS Slinger weapon system. During Future Forces Forum 2026 in Prague on 21 October 2026, the configuration highlighted the growing convergence between battlefield robotics and mobile counter-UAS capabilities designed to reduce soldiers' exposure to increasingly dangerous forward positions. Army Recognition Group was present at the event as an Official Media Partner, providing international reporting from Prague on the newest defense technologies and operational developments presented by industry.

At the center of the configuration is the TAROS V4 4x4, the fourth generation of the unmanned ground vehicle family developed by Czech state-owned defense company VOP CZ. The manufacturer describes TAROS V4 as an autonomous robotic vehicle equipped with advanced autonomous control and guidance functions that enable continuous operation in complex and hazardous environments, with the mission determined by the payload fitted to the platform. This modular philosophy gives TAROS relevance for reconnaissance, surveillance, logistics, protection and potentially combat support missions. Czech Ministry of Defence reports stated that the fourth-generation TAROS can carry up to 1,000 kg, while the platform has also gained amphibious capability and individually steerable wheels intended to improve maneuverability in difficult terrain. The Ministry has previously highlighted the four-wheel version in a weapon-related configuration, while VOP CZ itself identifies protection of critical infrastructure using different weapon systems among the potential applications of TAROS.

Related Topic: EOS Sling Blade System Tested by U.S. Army for Layered Counter-Drone Defense Within Maneuver Formations

The significance of the Prague display comes from pairing this Czech robotic carrier with the EOS Slinger, an Australian-developed counter-drone engagement system built around the Bushmaster M230LF 30 x 113 mm cannon. Slinger combines the cannon with specialized 30 mm proximity sensing ammunition, an Echodyne low size weight and power 4D targeting radar, a wind sensor and EOS proprietary stabilization and pointing technology. EOS describes the system as fully stabilized for firing on the move and equipped with a four-axis sighting arrangement in which the sensor unit can move independently of the weapon in elevation and azimuth. The company states that Slinger weighs less than 400 kg and can track and engage moving drones beyond 800 meters. The technical information displayed in Prague further specifies approximately 355 kg above the roof including the weapon and maximum ammunition, a 21 kg below-roof control group and a maximum ammunition load of 150 rounds. Its lightweight proximity-sensing ammunition uses a radio frequency proximity fuze combined with a high explosive fragmentation effect.

From an integration perspective, the figures make the combination particularly interesting. With the fourth-generation TAROS offering a payload capacity of up to 1,000 kg and Slinger remaining within the sub-400 kg class, the counter-drone system falls well inside the UGV family's stated nominal payload envelope. Payload capacity alone does not establish that the configuration has completed military qualification: structural loads, recoil management, electrical power requirements, stabilization, data interfaces, communications and fire control integration would all require validation before an operational configuration could be considered fully mature. Nevertheless, the physical compatibility helps explain why TAROS represents a credible carrier for this type of mission payload. Another important feature is the relationship between detection and engagement. According to the Slinger information presented in Prague, the EchoGuard radar can detect Phantom-class drones at more than 1 km and Matrice 600-class targets beyond 1.4 km, while the cannon engagement capability is stated at beyond 800 meters. This creates a potentially valuable sensor-to-effector sequence in which a target can be detected and tracked before reaching the kinetic engagement zone.

Operationally, placing a counter-UAS weapon on an unmanned ground platform could have implications extending well beyond the simple combination of a cannon and robotic chassis. A remotely operated or autonomously navigating carrier could potentially move a counter-drone effector into exposed firing positions without requiring its operators to remain beside the weapon, providing additional options for protecting forward command posts, logistics areas, maneuver formations, critical infrastructure or vulnerable approaches. In an environment increasingly characterized by persistent aerial reconnaissance and inexpensive attack drones, separating personnel from the firing position could become an important survivability advantage.

TAROS is specifically conceived for missions in hazardous areas where personnel exposure should be minimized, while Slinger has been developed around the requirement to defeat contemporary drone threats with accurate kinetic fire. The two technologies therefore address complementary operational problems. However, TAROS's autonomous mobility should not be confused with autonomous lethal engagement: the information available from the Prague presentation does not establish that Slinger target engagement aboard TAROS is conducted without human authorization. Equally, the configuration should presently be understood as a displayed system concept rather than evidence that this specific TAROS Slinger integration has already entered operational service or completed military qualification.

The presentation also demonstrated the industrial relevance of VOP CZ's long-term investment in unmanned ground systems. As a strategic state-owned enterprise of the Czech Ministry of Defence, VOP CZ combines development, manufacturing and support capabilities for land systems and has worked on TAROS technology for more than a decade. The company deserves particular recognition for presenting the platform in Prague in a professional and operationally focused manner, emphasizing a modular architecture capable of responding to evolving battlefield requirements rather than promoting TAROS as a single-purpose machine.

This approach is increasingly relevant as armed forces seek robotic vehicles able to transition between logistics, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, surveillance, infrastructure protection and combat-related tasks by changing mission equipment. Future Forces Forum provides an especially appropriate environment for such concepts. Held at PVA EXPO PRAGUE from 21 to 23 October 2026, the event brings together armed forces, government authorities, NATO structures, industry, research organizations and security specialists. Organizers report more than 500 exhibitors from 38 countries across over 23,000 square meters, with more than 9,000 professional visitors and delegations from over 70 countries expected, reinforcing Prague's position as a major European meeting point for emerging defense and security technologies.

The TAROS V4 4x4 equipped with EOS Slinger illustrates two of the most important transformations currently shaping land warfare: the expansion of unmanned ground systems into increasingly demanding operational roles and the urgent requirement for mobile defenses against small unmanned aerial threats. Its importance lies not simply in mounting a 30 mm cannon on a robotic vehicle, but in demonstrating how a modular unmanned carrier could potentially transport sensors and kinetic effectors into positions where deploying personnel would involve greater risk.

For VOP CZ, the presentation underlines the value of developing TAROS as a flexible mission platform rather than a vehicle tied to a single function. Combining the Czech UGV concept with a sophisticated counter-drone system such as Slinger provides a tangible illustration of how ground robotics could evolve from predominantly reconnaissance and logistics functions toward mobile force protection and counter-UAS missions. The configuration also reflects VOP CZ's ability to present Czech defense engineering professionally alongside international technologies and to explore mission concepts directly shaped by emerging operational requirements.

Future Forces Forum 2026 once again provides an important international platform for examining precisely these types of developments, connecting manufacturers, armed forces, institutional users and technology specialists in Prague. With Army Recognition Group attending as an Official Media Partner, the event offers a direct opportunity to identify and report the systems that may influence the next generation of land warfare. The TAROS V4 4x4 with EOS Slinger stands out as a particularly relevant example of how unmanned mobility and counter-drone lethality could increasingly converge as armed forces search for new ways to protect troops and critical assets against rapidly evolving aerial threats.

Explore More Defense News

• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
• Defense Aerospace News

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.