There is an emerging trend in defence and security circles to introduce armed robots into the battlefield. Russian army officials have begun to experiment with new tactics and techniques and are now incorporating ground robots in their army. Royal Marines have been granted the ability of using unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), in combat. These vehicles can be used to support units in battle or to search out enemy forces on ground.
Many defense firms have begun to develop prototype designs for unmanned ground vehicles that they can sell to the military. Textron announced the Ripsaw UGV. It can perform many different missions, such as border patrol, rescue and perimeter defense. The tank comes with an electric-diesel hybrid motor that can switch between a quiet and noisy approach. The tank can also be fitted with optional armament such as a 30-millimeter gun.
Qinetiq also announced the Titan. This robotic tank is capable of operating with or without human crew. It also meets the requirements for the Army Remote Combat Vehicle Light. These vehicles would be light, weighing around 10 tons, and are able to carry rockets in the class of Javelin anti-tank missiles. It is light but modular. By installing different superstructures, the Titan can meet the requirements of different roles.
Other defense companies are also preparing to launch their UGV designs at the Association of the United States Army's trade show in Washington, D.C. This week, Army Futures Command spoke to reporters at AUSA about the cross-functional team it has been forming to develop a future robotic army. One of the teams is the Next Generation Combat Vehicles cross-Functional team. This team is responsible for designing a robotic platon-sized vehicle that can be equipped with different armaments.
The Reserve is looking for its future robot force as the US Army builds its future army. One of the Army’s most elite Reserve units, the 1st Armored Cavalry Division has been testing a variety of robotic armored vehicle prototypes. These tanks have demonstrated their ability to traverse difficult terrain, and will be a great addition to the reserve force.
The Russian army is also developing its own robot vehicles. While it is unclear how many of these are currently in service, a video released by the Russian government depicts a mixed crew of human and robot scouts feeding information to the main force. Russia is planning to field a significant number of armed bots.
It's unclear how these robotic tanks will integrate into U.S. forces, but it is probable that they are tested in 2022. The development of these robots will be influenced by the lessons from the mock conflict. The future robotic force appears to be developing much faster than officials anticipated.