AUVSI: USMC completes convoy UGV experiment

The United States Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) and Oshkosh have completed the capstone event in a Cargo Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) project that tested technology and evaluated potential applications for unmanned convoy capabilities.

The tests were conducted under the MCWL's 2010 selection of Oshkosh's TerraMax technology to be integrated into the marines' ubiquitous Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) truck for a two-year experimental Cargo UGV effort sponsored by the laboratory and the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise Robotics Technology Consortium.

Cargo UGV completed an Enhanced Marine Air-Ground Task Force Operations (EMO) Limited Objective Experiment (LOE) that ran from 24 July through 5 August and sought to evaluate technologies and capabilities being developed for future missions.

The next step for Cargo UGV is up to the marines, who are now considering an operational experiment with the gear but have not yet finalised any decisions, John Beck, chief unmanned systems engineer for Oshkosh, said at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) conference in Las Vegas.