Belarus 3523i

2024: Preparation for Mass Production

At the end of September 2024, the Minsk Tractor Plant (MTZ) announced new information about its first unmanned tractor, which will go into mass production. The machine will help to increase the efficiency of agricultural work, reduce costs and eliminate the influence of the human factor.

Sergey Avramenko, General Director of MTZ, spoke about the development of a self-driving tractor. A key component of the machine is a special computing module that includes communication and control equipment. The equipment includes all kinds of sensors, cameras, etc. The tractor is designed to perform tasks formed by the operator: they can be loaded into the on-board computer remotely through cellular communication. According to the data from the sensors and the navigation system, the tractor independently makes decisions about the need for braking or about bypassing the obstacle that has arisen.

source = MTZ

The car is planned to use a 350 horsepower diesel engine, as well as a transmission with a gearbox and electromechanical drive, which provides stepless speed control in a wide range. Front and rear hinged devices of high load capacity, front and rear power takeoff shafts are installed.

According to Avramenko, as of September 2026, specialists are working out algorithms related to the control mechanisms of this tractor in order to make it a mass product. It is assumed that the machine will be able to work equally efficiently both day and night. At the same time, one operator will be able to manage the fleet of autonomous equipment.

Now algorithms and control systems are being refined to the level of serial production. In the next two or three years, we must go into mass production, - said Avramenko.[1]

2023: Product Announcement

In January 2023, the Minsk Tractor Plant (MTZ) presented unmanned tractors Belarus 3523i and KFU-MTZ-112. The first was developed in cooperation with the Joint Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, and the Institute of Computational Mathematics and Information Technologies of Kazan Federal University and LLC TPK MTZ-Tatarstan took part in the creation of the second.

Judging by the dimensions, the KFU-MTZ-112 was created for relatively small areas or allotments. The range of the tractor with an electric motor is 8 hours, the maximum speed is limited to 15 km/h. It can be controlled in four modes: manual, remote, strategic and tactical modes. Strategic involves specifying a specific route along which the tractor will move, and in tactical it simply sets the goal - the point to which you need to get to, and the drone already chooses the route itself.

Belarus 3523i unmanned tractor

Yuri Kozlovsky, Head of the Department of Design and Experimental Works No. 1 of MTZ, noted that the fuel consumption of the Belarus 3523i unit turned out to be much less than other similar engines installed on this tractor model. Approximately in March, design documentation will be ready, after which Belarus 3523i with this installation will begin to be manufactured at MTZ.

Minsk Tractor Plant announced that it will continue to work in the direction of the development of unmanned vehicles together with Belarusian and Russian scientists.

Now science creates technical intelligence for the tractor. The electronic control system will make it possible to use it as efficiently as possible for agricultural work at any time of the day. In addition, one operator will be able to immediately manage the fleet of autonomous equipment, "explained Nikolai Zezetko, chief designer of MTZ OJSC, quoted by the company's press service on January 20, 2023.[2]

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