At the National Day of the Infantry (Journées Nationales de l’Infanterie), held in Draguignan on October 14 and 15, the French Army has showcased the REFURBOT, an heavy, combat-oriented Uncrewed Ground Vehicle obtained from conversion of old AMX-30 hull(s).
REFURBOT is proposed as a solution to rapidly re-build mass within the Army by exploiting old tank hulls which are still relatively easy to come by. France produced 3,571 AMX-30 tanks between 1966 and 1994. The type has long left frontline service with the French Armed Forces, but large numbers of hulls remain available worldwide and could be repurposed. The Armée de Terre importantly still uses some of them as a training support platform employed by the FORAD (Force Adverse, the French OPFOR) at the CENZUB (Centre d’entraînement aux actions en zone urbaine ) Urban Combat Training Center in Sissonne.
REFURBOT had first appeared at Eurosatory back in June. It is a proposal by KNDS France and S2M Equipment, although the prototype is actually based on a far rarer AMX-32 hull. Only a handful of AMX-32 prototypes were ever built, and the hull used for the demonstrator is one of only two surviving examples. The AMX-32 was eventually fitted with a 120 mm smoothbore turret, replacing the 105 mm gun of its early configuration, which was the same as that of the AMX-30 proper.
REFURBOT in any case removes the original tank turret replacing it with the ARX 25 turret. The compact ARX 25 turret is armed with a 25M811 automatic cannon firing 25×137 mm ammunition, the same main gun found on VBCI.
The ARX-25 features a dual-feed ammunition system that draws from a reserve of 280 rounds. It can thus switch seamlessly from armor-piercing and AP-Incendiary rounds to High Explosive Fragmentation (HEF) ammunition. Engagements can be conducted out to 2,500 meters.
The REFURBOT is converted into a UGV thanks to KNDS’s TOXO robotic kit. This system combines autonomous functionality and remote-control systems needed to drive, steer, and operate the vehicle without anyone sitting inside it. The TOXO kit comprises sensor modules mounted on the front and rear of the vehicle.
The general idea is not new, and comparable experiments have been carried out in the UK with WARRIOR hulls, in Australia and in the US with M-113 hulls.
The AMX-30 is a 36-ton tank with a top speed of about 65 km/h. Presumably the REFURBOT is significantly lighter due to the turret swap.
The prototype retains the working driver position, so it is effectively optionally manned.
The concept could be applied, of course, to different hulls and potentially lead at some point to a purpose-designed new hull as well. The allure of using old, existing hulls is of course the potential for cheaper, faster production.
REFURBOT at this stage is not an Armée de Terre program, but an industry proposal.
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