Epiroc's Pit Viper drill rig marks 25 years, a decade of autonomous operation
Epiroc's large surface blasthole drill rig, the Pit Viper, celebrates its 25th anniversary, with a decade of operation featuring autonomous capabilities. This technology has boosted productivity and reduced emissions for mining customers.
Epiroc is marking 25 years since the launch of its large surface blasthole drill rig, the Pit Viper. For the past decade, the rig model has been operating autonomously, significantly increasing productivity and lowering emissions for mining customers worldwide.
According to data released in October 2025, the use of autonomous Pit Viper rigs has expanded from open-pit mines to dozens of mining sites globally. The equipment is utilized in the extraction of resources such as copper, gold, platinum, and phosphate.
The autonomous operation has led to an average productivity increase of 85% in hole depth accuracy, avoiding over 8 million meters of overdrilling. Spatial accuracy has improved by an average of 60%. More than 90 million meters have been drilled autonomously, with an average utilization increase of 17% compared to manual operation.
Fuel savings amount to approximately 85 million liters, translating to a reduction of around 225,000 tons of CO2 emissions. Safety has been enhanced through the Automatic Bit Changer (ABC) system, which minimizes human exposure during challenging tasks.