At five meters long and 2.5 meters wide, the Black Knight is very similar to a tank.
People in the global defense industry have high hopes for the Black Knight and see it as the future of ground warfare: The vehicle can be operated by a Dismounted Control Device (DCD), which is essentially a large remote control.
Black Knight is operated by a 300 horsepower Caterpillar engine, travelling at the same speed as main battle tanks. Many of the automotive parts in the Black Knight are the same as in the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. It is one of the most sophisticated of the unmanned ground combat vehicles, and its development is at an advanced phase.
Below, the Lockheed Martin Squad Mission Support System Unmanned Ground Vehicle equipped with a Gyrocam 9-inch mid-wave, surveillance sensor was flown by sling load into the “hostile” area using a Lockheed Martin K-MAX® unmanned helicopter, and a tactical resupply and surveillance mission was conducted in autonomous and tele-operated modes demonstrating “extending the reach of the warfighter” – video courtesy of Lockheed Martin:
Both SMSS and K-MAX were equipped with mobile Satellite Communications (SATCOM) systems as well as local line-of-sight communications systems. A remote operations center equipped with SATCOM controlled and monitored the vehicles’ activities throughout the demonstration. During the test, the Gyrocam 9-inch, mid-wave surveillance sensor provided constant video surveillance during each phase of the mission, including while in flight. The elevated system scanned for threats and provided geo-location coordinates of hostile personnel for indirect-fire missions.
“Fully autonomous capabilities as we’ve just demonstrated will allow service members to focus on important missions and remain out of harm’s way,” said Scott Greene, vice president of Ground Vehicles for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This successful demonstration with both unmanned air and ground vehicles shows us that these missions are not only possible, but can be available much sooner than you would expect.”
US defence/aerospace firm Lockheed Martin has demonstrated that unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) can operate in convoys through urban environments. The unmanned ground vehicle convoy trial was carried out at Fort Hood, located between Waco and Austin in Texas. (Read more)
In collaboration with DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) of India, Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz has designed and manufactured a new mini tracked unmanned ground vehicle with CBRN equipment mounted on the top of the vehicle able to enter into hazardous areas to detect CBRN contamination and collect sample for post processing.
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) received a contract from the U.S. Army Robotics Technology Consortium to conduct a fully autonomous reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition experiment using both its Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) unmanned ground vehicle and its K-MAX unmanned air vehicle. Contract terms are not being disclosed.
Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) on the battlefield are an established fact.
If, until a few years ago, anyone doubted the feasibility of this technology, he should look to the Order of Battle of the US Army to understand the global trend – in 2004 the US Army had about 150 UGVs, and today their ORBAT consists of tens of thousands.
Admittedly, this is a problematic technology, to say the least, in terms of ethics and safety, but as far as operational aspects are concerned, a UGV fitted with a Remotely Controlled WeaponStation (RCWS) is the ‘Silver Bullet’ in the eyes of many. “The development of weapon stations for UGVs is one of the objectives of Rafael’s business strategy,” says Yizhar S., in charge of land systems marketing at Rafael. “One should bear in mind that this technology precedes most of the world in this field. We are currently participating in one of the world’s first projects involving the mounting of a weapon station on a UGV used by IDF."
The technological complexity notwithstanding, there is still no structured regulation around the world for the field of shooter UGVs. “This technology will remain the domain of very few countries in the future as well,” says Yizhar S. “The target audience for these vehicles will be relatively limited, owing to safety considerations. At the same time, as long as there is demand in the IDF, we will continue to develop this field. In the world of HLS it is not likely that shooter UGVs will enter service with police forces and we would see them on city streets. In the end, what you have here is an unmanned, armed vehicle that you want to deploy in an urban environment teeming with people. There is still a lot of apprehension around this issue.”
