Robots Power Russia’s Push for Uranium Leadership

Breakthrough as a Response to Sanctions

Amid ongoing sanctions pressure, replacing aging foreign drilling complexes has become increasingly urgent. At the same time, the new rigs represent an evolutionary step toward fully autonomous drilling operations. Machine learning plays a central role in this transition.

To design an optimal drilling unit, the заказчики conducted a comprehensive review of global industry trends. Engineers from the Orenburg Drilling Equipment Plant worked from a detailed technical brief and made multiple visits to the drilling site. Discussions about the future order were held directly at the карьер. The result of this production tandem is the ZBO S50 rig. Serial manufacturing began at the plant in September of last year.

The new development builds on an earlier model. The previous rig was unveiled at the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where Rusburmash and the Orenburg plant, with mediation from the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, signed a trilateral cooperation agreement. By November, the S15 rig had already begun operations at the Khiagda uranium field in Buryatia.

Rusburmash, part of Rosatom’s mining division, plans to purchase 10 rigs from the plant. Five will be used for technological drilling of wells in in-situ leaching uranium production, and five will be deployed for geological exploration.

First and foremost, it is Russian-made. There is service support, there are spare parts. What truly impressed me was the approach taken by our colleagues, who deployed their design engineers directly to our site in the Far East. They worked with our engineers in the field and have tuned the rig design to meet our specific requirements before launching serial production. Uranium operations have their own particular characteristics, and those were fully taken into account

Gleb Nosyrev

CEO of Rusburmash

Smart Solutions for Complex Tasks

The rigs are equipped with an electrohydraulic drive system. Compared with traditional hydraulic systems, it provides significantly simpler and more precise control. The system distributes electrical signals to valves and automates multiple processes. For example, the rig independently detects a sharp increase in torque and automatically raises the drill string. This prevents molten rock from adhering to the tool – a common precursor to accidents. Previously, operators had to monitor such parameters manually. Reducing human-factor risk increases rig productivity by approximately 10%.

The electrohydraulic configuration also enabled integration of advanced sensors. The collected data flows into a chatbot interface used by Rusburmash technical specialists and management. A technologist then provides operational recommendations on drilling tools, torque levels, applied force and drilling fluid volumes. Management can assess performance metrics and adjust crew operations accordingly. Data is also fed into engineering neural networks for time-series analysis, process monitoring and failure diagnostics. The system aggregates information not only from a single mine but from multiple deposits. In parallel, the plant is developing additional hardware modules. As a result, the new rig will receive an AI option. The model’s purpose is to calculate and adjust all operational parameters based on continuous data analysis, including changes in geological conditions.

For approximately six months, the drilling site in Buryatia has also been using digital business analytics. Historical and current data from drilling, geological and geophysical logs is consolidated into an electronic database updated daily. The integrated dataset is available in real time.

Global Market Demand

Robotic and autonomous rigs are being adopted by leading mining companies worldwide. According to international analysts, the market has the potential for nearly 10% annual growth and is projected to reach $3.36 billion by 2035 – nearly tripling 2024 levels.

The Orenburg solutions align with this global trend. AI-enabled rigs are now beginning to reach customers. The advantages of autonomous drilling systems are clear: improved labor and industrial safety, centralized control of multiple rigs by a single operator, uninterrupted processes and more efficient resource utilization.

Looking ahead, the Orenburg plant may not only meet domestic demand but also offer its solutions to partner countries. What began as forced import substitution could open a new high-tech export niche for Russian industry. Beyond the hardware itself, AI models developed for autonomous machinery may prove attractive to developing economies pursuing industrial automation strategies.

It is important to note that the use of AI and digital analytics may soon become a standard in the extraction of strategic materials.