Babcock Australasia has delivered a fleet of Squad-Packable Utility Robots worth AUD16 million to the Australian Defence Force. (Babcock International Group)
Babcock Australasia – a subsidiary of the UK-based Babcock International Group – has delivered an undisclosed number of tactical robots to the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Babcock in partnership with Australian company EPE Trusted to Protect has delivered a fleet of Squad-Packable Utility Robots (SPURs) worth AUD16 million (USD10 million) to the ADF, Babcock announced in late February. The SPURs are manufactured by UK-based QinetiQ.
“The SPUR Remote Positioning Vehicles – Light (RPV-Ls) will be utilised across triservice applications for search [and] intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) activities to mitigate and deny the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and protect Australian soldiers in combat,” Babcock said.
Babcock added that it led the procurement and customisation of the robots, collaborating with EPE to ensure the robots are modified according to ADF specifications. EPE's long-term partnership with QinetiQ facilitated the deliveries.
The SPURs were delivered following inspection and acceptance testing and are ready for immediate deployment.
Babcock said the SPURs have been in service with the Australian Army since 2022 to assist response to potential chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) incidents.
The compact and mobile SPURs delivered to the ADF weigh about 13 kg and can be rapidly deployed from a backpack. These robots have a “high-performance manipulator arm”, can capture and transmit high-resolution imagery, and can manoeuvre in difficult terrain, enabling their effective application in diverse environments, Babcock added.
According to Janes Land Warfare Platforms: Logistics, Support & Unmanned
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