French SD4E is progressing its programme to develop a unique robot which in the near future can replace snipers on the battlefield, said RTL on 6 July.

The new unmanned ground sniper system called the Snibot. A major feature of the new unmanned drone is its capable shoots with a precision that allows immobilizing the targets without killing them.

“The hyper-precision provides certainty of shooting up to 200 or 300 meters with a degree of precision that can not reach a sniper and the assurance that the next shot will go to the same place,” said Michel Yakovleff spokesperson for the SD4E company which develops the terrestrial drone.

Using special software code and equipment compensate for weather, wind, target movement, and other factors that can reduce accuracy.

The Snibot sniper robot can neutralize without killing. “The weapon is coupled with a day-night optronic targeting system and an algorithm programmed to prohibit firing when the aiming point designates the head, abdomen and trunk of the target, “says Yakovleff.

A robot with 100% confidence can shoot a hand or foot in a criminal or attacker, which will neutralize it.

Snibot will be able to provide protection to important administrative objects, nuclear power plants, roadblocks and so on. The robot is designed to assist and protect the armed forces in some dangerous missions and tedious tasks. Such a device would massively save the workforce today assigned to the protection of infrastructures in external operation: it is necessary to deploy five people to have one permanently on the parapet. A site requiring a dozen defenders permanently (a fairly common case) requires the deployment of fifty soldiers. In the present case, a Snibot-based defense system would allow a significant number of soldiers to be redirected to missions outside the perimeter, while ensuring a defense with guaranteed effect, not subject to fatigue, stress, etc.

Snibot is currently being evaluated by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. In search of funding, its designers also hope to find him outlets with RAID and GIGN. The developers of the new robotic system hope to see their new sniper robot in the ranks of the French army in the medium term.