Farnborough 2012: SMSS considered for wider mission set

Lockheed Martin is set to explore a range of new mission packages for its Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) unmanned ground vehicle (UGV).

Four SMSS vehicles recently concluded an OCONUS (Outside Contiguous United States) Military Utility Analysis in Afghanistan with the US Army, where, according to Morri Leland, director of international business development at Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Fire Control, the systems remained serviceable throughout their deployment, which commenced in December 2011.

Speaking to IHS Jane's at the Farnborough Airshow, Leland said that in Afghanistan the vehicles operated with two different infantry units and provided a logistics support role, adding that in one instance a vehicle operated with two and a half times the recommended maximum load.

The company will now look at the potential of leveraging the autonomous capabilities of the system in a number of roles, Leland said, including reconnaissance and surveillance.

The SMSS was included in the US Army's AEWE Spiral G exercise in 2011 where it was configured and fitted with a mast-mounted Gyrocam Systems payload.