BAE Systems showcases unmanned vehicle built on M113 chassis at EDGE22

BAE Robotic Technology Demonstrator at EDGE22. (BAE Systems)

BAE Systems has exhibited a Robotic Technology Demonstrator (RTD) built on the lower hull of the M113 armoured fighting vehicle as part of its bid to develop a vehicle that meets US Army requirements for the Robotic Combat Vehicle-Medium (RCV-M).

The vehicle was demonstrated on 19 May at the Experimental Demonstration Gateway Exercise 2022 (EDGE22), an exercise held in preparation for Project Convergence 2022, the US Army's yearly warfighting and integration experiment.

BAE Systems first exhibited its RTD in 2019, but it has since undergone a number of significant changes in design. Janes understands this specific configuration displayed at EDGE22 has been in development since 2021. The vehicle was exhibited with a Fletcher 70 mm rocket launcher mounted and composite rubber tracks (CRT).

Explaining the rationale for the use of the M113 as a base vehicle, Helen Park, Future Tech Works director at BAE Systems, told Janes , “Our final vehicle solution will be based off of US Army requirements for RCV-M; however, because more than 80,000 M113s have been built over time, the utilisation of the M113 chassis delivers significant cost savings to the Army.”

“While this current version of RTD utilises only the suspension and lower hull of M113, we are continuously testing base platforms to find the best solution for the US Army's RCV-M needs,” she said.