Abstract: The article considers the questions regarding the status and improvement of military robotic systems on the basis of the analysis of the existing nomenclature of robotic systems in foreign countries. The authors of the article provide a brief overview of existing types of robotic systems for special purposes, and describe their characteristic features and major problems. They demonstrate that at the moment special purpose robotic systems solve a limited number of tactical tasks, however, not significantly affecting the forms and methods of armed struggle. At the same time, being formed over the past decade in fundamental and technological areas of science, these capacities allow to speak about readiness for transition to a fundamentally new level, robotization of the armed forces. The research involved statistical analysis of more than 700 samples of robotic systems designated for special purposes. The result of the research identified the main directions of research on the development of special purpose robotic systems: improving resource and intellectual autonomy; construction modularity and reconfiguration; design and technological standardization samples and their key functional components; noise immunity and secrecy of communication systems and management.