SMi MRAS 2022: 16 Air Assault Brigade to be British Army's first robotics-enhanced brigade

Horiba Mira's VIKING during demonstrations on Salisbury Plain, March 2022 (Janes/Alexander Stronell)

16 Air Assault Brigade has been chosen to become the British Army's first robotic autonomous systems (RAS)-enhanced brigade, it was announced on 6 April.

Speaking at SMi Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems 2022 (SMi MRAS 2022) conference in London, Lieutenant Colonel Iain Lamont, SO1 Robotics and Autonomous Systems, British Army, confirmed that 16 Air AssaultBrigade Combat Team had been chosen for the role.

The British Army intends to field its first RAS-enhanced light Brigade Combat Team by 2025 with a view to developing a Deep Recce Strike Combat Team by 2030, and finally multiple RAS-enhanced brigades by 2035. In March 2022, Janes reported that the British Army would nominate its intended RAS-enhanced Brigade Combat Team imminently.

16 Air Assault Brigade is the British Army's airborne rapid reaction force. It forms the core of the UK's high-readiness Air Assault Task Force, which can be deployed at short notice for a wide range of operations.