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UGVs herald step change in urban ops
By Andrew White
10 May 2007
Tactics in urban operations are set to change significantly as advocates of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) expect their vision to come to fruition over the next decade.
World militaries and industry are stretching the boundaries of UGVs designed to assist soldiers to encompass a wider field than the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) duties that have traditionally been conducted by such vehicles.
"Current conflicts are mostly in the urban environment, and the troops need to have the capability to obtain reconnaissance information inside urban structures without physically entering the buildings," SAIC vice-president and director of UGVs for the Future Combat Systems (FCS) programme, Dr Alan Wells, tells Jane's.
"Today, soldiers go into these environments with very limited information and are often surprised by booby traps, IEDs [improvised explosive devices] or armed insurgents. Having the advanced situational understanding that small UGVs can provide is an essential requirement in today's battlefields."
The development of UGVs is witnessing the introduction of systems designed to protect troops from dangerous areas of operation (AO) by inserting them ahead of combat forces. Equipped with an array of sensors including thermal imaging, night-¡vision optics and laser target designators, their mission could include a range of functions such as surveillance and reconnaissance (SR), provision of overwatch, domination of a position, disruption of enemy forces, casualty evacuation and logistics support.
This flexibility is central to the US Department of Defense's (DoD's) strategy for its FCS programme. FCS, headed by Boeing and SAIC, is looking to multiply current heavy Brigade Combat Teams' (BCTs') unmanned systems (both air and ground) by a factor of 10.
With a final implementation deadline of 2015, 15 out of 76 BCTs will be equipped with a family of UGVs: the Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) system; the Countermine and transport MULE; and the Small UGV (SUGV) or iRobot PackBot, of which 850 prototypes are already being used operationally in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"FCS incorporates a number of robotic assets," Dr Wells explains, "which will improve situational awareness for the troops in urban environments. SUGVs can enter buildings and caves to perform reconnaissance before soldiers enter, and small UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles - Class I] can monitor movement between buildings.
"The key is the rapid dissemination of the reconnaissance information over the FCS network, so that all the soldiers involved in the operation understand what is happening and can respond accordingly."
Designed to support ground and airborne assaults, the MULE system forms part of the 2.5-ton Common Mobility Platform (CMP), which also includes a centralised controller for dismounted operations and an aut¡on¡omous navigation system (ANS) mission payload package for semi-autonomous and leader-follower capability.
A 6x6 wheeled platform with each wheel independently articulated, the MULE has the ability to 'step' over obstacles and 'climb' through rubble and other complex terrain. For this high-mobility platform, FCS will integrate an advanced ANS that will automatically detect its surroundings and plan local routes in real time. The ANS will be programmed to understand the mobility characteristics of the vehicle and will control it in the negotiation of complex terrain features.
"Once the high-mobility platforms are developed and outfitted with the FCS ANS, the trend will be to improve autonomous behaviours to allow the vehicles to do more with less direct soldier control. The technologies for the vehicle to sense and identify enemy threats are evolving rapidly, so eventually the vehicle will be able to respond to changes in the battlefield situation on its own, based on rules of engagement defined by the soldier-operator," Dr Wells says.
Sling-loadable under a helicopter, the MULE is capable of carrying between 1,900-2,400 lb (860-1,088 kg) of equipment and has the ability to detect, mark and neutralise anti-tank mines with its Ground Standoff Mine Detection System. Dr Wells believes it may be re-introduced into the FCS BCT force structure over the next couple of years.