BAE Systems pitches ground robot to drone-hungry Australian Army

MELBOURNE — Because the Australian Military reconfigures itself to include unmanned floor autos, vendor BAE Techniques senses a gap for its new ATLAS 8×8 automobile.

The identify is brief for Autonomous Tactical Gentle Armour System, and firm executives unveiled a “collaborative fight” model of the automobile on the Land Forces 2024 exhibition right here earlier this month.

The present experience was armed with a Bushmaster 25mm cannon, however different potentialities embrace larger-caliber weapons, mortars, antitank guided missiles, loitering munition launchers and surveillance sensors, based on the agency

To guage new applied sciences comparable to unmanned floor autos (UGV), drones, robotics and counter-drone techniques, the Australian Military is changing the Adelaide-based 1st Armoured Regiment right into a check and experimental unit.

Lt. Col. Jake Penley, its commanding officer, instructed Protection Information that the unit will hand in its M1A1 Abrams tanks later this 12 months, earlier than reaching an preliminary operational functionality within the experimentation mission on Feb. 1, 2025.

Penley mentioned of his unit’s new function: “The flexibility to get high-end rising know-how within the fingers of troopers sooner in an experimentation function means we are able to confirm and validate these platforms rapidly and get them out to fight models.”

The unit is already evaluating optionally manned M113 tracked autos, after BAE Techniques Australia transformed 20 autos. “They’re actually helpful,” Penley mentioned, and the regiment’s armor experience means they know how you can preserve them.

BAE Techniques is at the moment speaking to the Military about upgrading these optionally manned M113s with extra superior sensors and software program from the ATLAS undertaking.

The ten-ton-class fight ATLAS – barely smaller than LAV-25 8×8 armored autos utilized by the Australian Military and U.S. Marine Corps – can carry out superior reconnaissance, armored overwatch, flank safety and convoy escort missions.

Paul Finch, Challenge Supervisor Land Autonomy at BAE Techniques Australia, instructed Protection Information that the ATLAS employs a Supacat HMT Extenda chassis and drive module, plus a Vantage unmanned turret from Slovenian firm Valhalla Turrets.

With a residual 6-ton payload capability, it may match inside a 20-foot normal transport container. This opens up quite a few transportation choices by street, prepare and ship, whereas six ATLAS autos match inside a C-17 plane.

Finch mentioned the prototype was accomplished in July following a contract award to Supacat in June 2023. He mentioned the automobile is round 90% full, with work nonetheless to be achieved to qualify subsystems and to coach its software program.

The ATLAS is competing in opposition to largely tracked platforms on this medium-sized UGV class, however its wheeled configuration brings benefits by way of street mobility.