China Unveils New Machine-Gun-Wielding Robotic Dogs In Joint Military Drills With Cambodia

China, showcasing its technical prowess, has unveiled machine-gun-carrying robotic dogs.

In a recent video shot during joint military exercises between the Chinese and Cambodian militaries — Golden Dragon 2024 — two robotic dogs were unveiled.

One robotic dog shown in the video weighed around 15 kilograms and was capable of providing real-time transmission of reconnaissance footage to a command post. This robot can operate anywhere between 2 to 4 hours using batteries installed in its abdomen.

It is also capable of performing various movement patterns, such as lying down and jumping, apart from standard patterns like moving forward and backward. It can also plan routes and reach close to its target, providing real-time footage of the target.

Another heavier robotic dog, weighing 50 kilograms, was also unveiled in the video.

Unlike the lighter dog, this one carried a machine gun mounted atop its back. The video showed the robotic dog firing the machine gun. While the lighter robotic dog was only capable of transmitting reconnaissance footage, the heavier dog can even destroy targets using its automatic gun.

Various other drones, such as cargo and reconnaissance drones, and gun-carrying hexacopters, were also displayed in the video.

According to some reports, the robots belong to a Chinese company called Unitree. These robots will be extremely useful in conditions that would otherwise be lethal for humans.

For example, in the Russia-Ukraine war, soldiers from both sides, Russia and Ukraine, suffered huge casualties while assaulting heavily fortified positions. They have taken casualties not just from artillery shelling and machine gun fire from the defending forces, but also from anti-personnel mines.

These robotic dogs can help soldiers avoid such large casualties in these assault operations. They can be deployed in the initial phase of the assault, sending suppressing fire in the enemy's direction while covering ground quickly, with no fear of artillery shelling, mines, or machine gun fire.

Human soldiers can then follow and lay claim to the area.

Even if some of the robotic dogs get destroyed in the initial phase, they can easily be replaced with new robots or repaired quickly, which is not possible with human soldiers.