Robotic Complex Breach

Last month the US Army Joint Modernization Command, joined by the US Marine Corps’ Warfighting Laboratory and the British Army’s 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade, turned talk of using robots to breach major obstacles into action. Using a training ground in Grafenwoehr, Germany, as their battlefield laboratory, the collected groups experimented with one solution to the challenge of Soldiers besting an obstacle while under enemy attack. The aim of this project was developing robotic and autonomous systems replacements for some of the most dangerous warfighter activities our Soldiers face: gathering information while under fire, moving through obscuration (e.g. smoke), and creating the initial entry across an obstacle. Using the UK’s Terrier as the main vehicle, and with no humans inside, one of the test points for the unit was conquering a trench that could stop an Abrams tank on its tracks. As can be seen in the video below, the experiment was very successful.
The development team’s initial directive was to create an unmanned system capable of ensuring our Soldiers, and our Allies’ Soldiers, could perform vital tasks while remaining safely “behind the scenes” while the robotic vehicle moved into the danger zone. The success of this experiment is another victory for American and Allied combat development that ensures progress for similar projects designed to empower our Soldiers when in harm’s way.
Check back for updates on similar and ongoing projects!