Epiroc’s Pit Viper Marks 25-Year Milestone

Epiroc’s Pit Viper, the company’s largest surface blasthole drill rig, has reached its 25th anniversary and continues to operate with significant performance improvements. Over the past decade, the Pit Viper series has been drilling autonomously, supporting higher productivity, improved precision, and reduced emissions for mining operations worldwide. Autonomous Pit Viper rigs have drilled more than 90 million meters, while achieving an average 17% higher utilization than in manual mode. Fuel savings of around 85 million liters and a CO2 reduction of approximately 225,000 tons have been reported, alongside enhanced safety through unmanned operation and automatic bit changes.

Originally designed for power, flexibility, and mobility, the Pit Viper rigs have evolved from manual to automated and ultimately fully autonomous machines. Their adoption across global open-pit mines—including copper, gold, platinum, and phosphate sites—demonstrates the scalability of autonomous drilling operations, which can be controlled from off-site locations, sometimes over a thousand kilometers away.

“The iconic Pit Viper rig has set the standard for a quarter of a century when it comes to powerful surface drilling, and for a decade when it comes to autonomous operations. Customers trust the reliable Pit Viper because it delivers safety, productivity and energy efficiency. With continuous upgrades, the rigs keep getting better, regardless of their age.” said Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO.

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