What a difference four years can make. While US and other nations’ ground forces were actively supporting combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon had an insatiable appetite for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). During the height of ground combat operations in the two nations AUSA delegates walking down the conference floor aisles had to keep their head on a swivel, as vendors enthusiastically demonstrated the capabilities of an array of commercial off-the-shelf ground unmanned ground vehicles in many aisles. Those days are in our rear view mirror, with the number of exhibitors and products in the UGV sector a fraction of the recent past.
Decreased numbers of UGV exhibitors aside, several pockets of innovation were evident in the sector at this event.
QinetiQ North America unveiled its TALON V Interoperability Profile (IOP) Compliant Tactical Robot. While the new TALON has increased mechanical and electrical capabilities compared to its older IV product sibling, the IOP capability is significant – it is a waypoint on the US services’ future UGV roadmap to achieving interoperability among current and future generations of these vehicles.
A second innovation noted by MILTECH on the conference floor was iRobot’s roll out of its first multi-robot control (MRC) tablet system for military and other UGV users. During a product demonstration at the iRobot booth, the MRC tablet’s capabilities were shown to include: a virtual joystick to allow the user to “touch and drag” anywhere on the main video feed to steer the robot; and predictive lines that help guide the operator through challenging spots.
As US combat operations decrease in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army remains concerned about protecting its vehicles crews from asymmetric threats including improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The focus on crew protection has also shifted through the last several years. So while this AUSA’s delegates did not see the rollout of large numbers of new and upgraded vehicles programs to protect crews and passengers, subtle, but important, incremental changes are occurring in the manned ground vehicles space.
In one instance, Christa, Bowers, the media director for Alcoa Defense, advised MILTECH about her company’s success in manufacturing the world’s largest single piece forged aluminum hull for combat vehicles.
The Army is now testing the hull to examine its durability.
The hull was co-designed by Alcoa and the Army Research Laboratory.
Decreased numbers of UGV exhibitors aside, several pockets of innovation were evident in the sector at this event.
QinetiQ North America unveiled its TALON V Interoperability Profile (IOP) Compliant Tactical Robot. While the new TALON has increased mechanical and electrical capabilities compared to its older IV product sibling, the IOP capability is significant – it is a waypoint on the US services’ future UGV roadmap to achieving interoperability among current and future generations of these vehicles.
A second innovation noted by MILTECH on the conference floor was iRobot’s roll out of its first multi-robot control (MRC) tablet system for military and other UGV users. During a product demonstration at the iRobot booth, the MRC tablet’s capabilities were shown to include: a virtual joystick to allow the user to “touch and drag” anywhere on the main video feed to steer the robot; and predictive lines that help guide the operator through challenging spots.
As US combat operations decrease in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army remains concerned about protecting its vehicles crews from asymmetric threats including improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The focus on crew protection has also shifted through the last several years. So while this AUSA’s delegates did not see the rollout of large numbers of new and upgraded vehicles programs to protect crews and passengers, subtle, but important, incremental changes are occurring in the manned ground vehicles space.
In one instance, Christa, Bowers, the media director for Alcoa Defense, advised MILTECH about her company’s success in manufacturing the world’s largest single piece forged aluminum hull for combat vehicles.
The Army is now testing the hull to examine its durability.
The hull was co-designed by Alcoa and the Army Research Laboratory.
Marty Kauchak