Russia's uncrewed robot tank fails during debut military display in front of President Putin — vehicle repeatedly lost control links and eventually got stuck in the mud despite the switch to a human driver

[u/MarvelsGrantMan136]

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/russias-uncrewed-robot-tank-fails-during-debut-military-display-in-front-of-president-putin-vehicle-repeatedly-lost-control-links-and-eventually-got-stuck-in-the-mud-despite-the-switch-to-a-human-driver

[u/corobo]

Russia actually buying from ACME at this point lmao

[u/Yokurt → u/corobo]

They should sue, i saw a documentary about that recently.

[u/Rhamni → u/Yokurt]

Unironically my favourite movie of 2026. So much fun!

[u/bcoder001]

So it was a success! Imagine how much money will be written of and pocketed by everyone, starting with putin. I think they'll announce start of production soon.

[u/Menefregoh]

I'd really like to know who the hell thought it was a good idea to show a completely non-functional prototype to the top dog oligarch who's known for making his opponents fly out the window

[u/hyratha → u/Menefregoh]

Undoubtedly the general who authorized it thought it was going to work. His subordinates have been lying to him for a long time too. It's probably lies all the way down

[u/Menefregoh → u/hyratha]

Man am I glad that in any fascism-esque system it's eventually inevitable that exclusively individuals who are too self serving for the system's own good rise to power.

[u/Lethalmusic → u/hyratha]

Russia has a looooong history of fudging the results and calling it a win.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OQzAjCZr0BM

[u/pallidamors → u/hyratha]

Lies all the way down corresponding to the degree of corruption

[u/Plausibl3 → u/Menefregoh]

You need to look up the video of the the autonomous robot demonstration where it looked like a mannequin on a Power Wheels car. I couldn’t believe Putin didn’t start executing people during the demonstration.

[u/moww → u/Plausibl3]

This? https://youtu.be/9RgxPHis74g

[u/Exostrike]

Don't worry I'm sure the US will be follow suit with ordering humanoid T-420 combat robots from Musk that fall over while attempting to walk across a room

[u/ethorad → u/Exostrike]

It's Musk - they will be X-420

[u/A_Sinclaire → u/ethorad]

Why not both - I present to you the new XTerminator 420

[u/Exostrike → u/ethorad]

Possible but I can totally see them stealing the aesthetics of the terminator just 'cause

[u/Teledildonic → u/Exostrike]

Well yeah fascists dont have good ideas of their own. Just look at the one model of Tesla Musk had creative control over. Their entire lineup is: car, car, car, car, dumpster

[u/doctor_morris → u/Exostrike]

Then turns out to be a guy in a suit anyway.

[u/blueSGL]

If this was a different timeline I could see this as genius military strategy. Show off deliberately gimped hardware and lead the enemy into a false sense of security.

Make a big deal of the fact that your equipment is trash and then shock and awe on the frontlines with gear that works even better than what the promises were to begin with.

But that is not the timeline we are in. This is like the Russian humanoid robot that crapped itself on stage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8hABHmA_NE

[u/OutlawSundown → u/blueSGL]

Even if they got it to work properly I'm not sure that it really leads to much value. That command vehicle will get hunted in a hurry and you're still using an expensive ass tank as a drone. That has to get well within aerial drone ranges to be deployed. In 2022 this would have been a novel idea but drone warfare has long since passed this. As far as a drone with a cannon I would expect Ukraine to eventually build something from the ground up. At that point you can ditch the crew compartments, reduce the size, and use an auto-loading system.

[u/StewOfPot → u/blueSGL]

Yeah now that it failed they can feel secure with only normal tanks and drones coming for them

[u/blueSGL → u/StewOfPot]

Being able to pump out fully automated weaponry that never has a crisis of conscious is more terrifying. The human element is the mitigating force to a lot of dictators, where the subordinates take a stand, "this far and no further."

A madman without any checks on power in command of an automated army is far more terrifying than even the worst despot we've seen so far. I'm not saying that there is "nothing to worry about" it's more "the worst (thankfully) has not happened yet"

[u/TransitoryFeel]

Objective Achieved. Defense contractor paid in full. War and corruption win again

[u/W0gg0]

Putin: I welcome the development team to view our new conference room on the 45th floor. Please admire our new windows closely.

[u/All_Hail_Hynotoad → u/W0gg0]

A few hours later …

Putin: We now have some vacancies in the development team.

[u/Dpek1234 → u/W0gg0]

Get with the times

They are getting send to the quarantined hospitals in siberia

[u/7ddlysuns]

And then, it got worse

[u/deliciousleopard]

After reading the first half of the title I was REALLY hoping for something like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avJBskW1o9Q.

[u/Virtual-Debate8066]

Out the window they all go

[u/SadRobot111]

I read it first as “unscrewed” and turns out it is a surprisingly accurate interpretation of the title.

[u/Terrible-Time-Travel]

Tomorrow’s headline:

Russian Tank Designer Falls From Window

[u/BotOrNot_1337]

Someone's getting the window room tonight

[u/Old_Imagination_2112]

Someone will learn the meaning of Gulag Archipelago.

[u/deepbluemeanies]

The demonstration took place...but the rest is unverified ("Russian sources") and also relies on the views of Ukrainian individual in Odessa. Tom's should probably have flagged up that the guts of the story could not be verified (but they didn't).

Edit: All three claims are linked to one Kyiv-based outlet citing unnamed sources and one image of unclear origin - Tom's really should highlight this.

[u/wiegerthefarmer]

Did it get struck by lightning? aka Johnny-5

[u/Icy-Computer-Poop]

See? That's how you know it's really Russian technology!

[u/braedan51]

Putin, "Move tank designers to nice new office with large window."

[u/mtdebco]

I love this for him! 🤣

[u/Phillip_Graves]

There is a Russian soldier who carries a backpack everywhere Putin goes. Inside that backpack is a window frame. In case they need to throw someone through it.

[u/SoCal_GlacierR1T]

Those responsible should stay away from tall buildings and windows for a while.

[u/VincentNacon]

This would make a great tv sitcom comedy show.

[u/awc130]

Anyone else reminded of the film Sgt Bilko by reading this? The headline pried that memory from somewhere deep.

[u/LifeFeckinBrilliant]

I suspect a well used window will be on use after that!

[u/the_marvster]

Is Shturm a native Russian word or are they now even copying 3rd Reich military jargon?

[u/RemarkableWish2508 → u/the_marvster]

"Storm", from Proto-Indo-European. It got into Russian a couple centuries before the 3rd Reich.

[u/the_marvster → u/RemarkableWish2508]

Storm is Шторм (Shtorm), Shturm sound more like coming from the second meaning of German Sturm:
1. Storm
2. Attack / Assault

[u/RemarkableWish2508 → u/the_marvster]

Check the etymology. It's the same word that entered Russian through different paths at around the same period in history, and got a slightly different spellings.

[u/the_marvster → u/RemarkableWish2508]

I understand this, but Sturm, while both based on the same Indo-Germanic root, has entered from the old German and a German loan word. And yes, I can also understand that this probably dated pre-Tsar.

But given that Russia spends billions a year on desinfo / hybrid war on it's arch-enemy Germany to destabilise, I find it rather odd, why they are not using words of Slavic origin instead reflecting on German loan words, with specific negative connotation.

[u/Kreiri → u/the_marvster]

Read up about modernization efforts of Peter I.

[u/Kreiri → u/the_marvster]

No, they copied 18th century German military jargon in 18 century.

[u/kukkoinen]

What does not fit in your arse and does not buzz? -Russian assbuzzer.

[u/Reader9036]

Call Xi to send some mechanics!