The US National Advanced Mobility Consortium (NAMC) announced that three companies entered the new stage of the competition for the creation of a crewless combat vehicle: General Dynamics Land Systems, QinetiQ NA and Textron. Information about this is available on the organization’s website.
We are talking about the project of an autonomous medium-sized combat vehicle (medium-sized Robotic Combat Vehicle, RCV-Medium project). Interviewed by RT experts believe that this type of promising military equipment is appropriate to classify as BMP.
NAMC is an organization that, in the interests of the state, is engaged in supporting new projects in the field of wheeled and tracked vehicles. In particular, the consortium oversees the Next Generation Combat Vehicle program, aimed at creating a new generation of combat vehicles, including unmanned vehicles.
To replace tanks and infantry fighting vehicles
In mid-October, at a conference of the US Armed Forces Association AUSA-2019, which was held in Washington, Textron presented a sample of the Ripsaw M5. Michael Howe, senior vice president of the company, in an interview with Jane's, called the company's new product a “unique” and “aggressive” self-propelled platform. According to him, the machine is capable of performing a wide range of tasks at the theater of operations (theater of operations), containing drones and transporting several small-sized robots.
The advantages of the Ripsaw M5 Howe include modularity, high mobility and compatibility of systems and assemblies with other combat vehicles. The vehicle’s speed is 40 mph (about 64 km / h), and its mass is 40 thousand pounds (about 18 tons). The robot moves thanks to a hybrid engine that can use electricity.
The Ripsaw M5 is armed with a Kongsberg Protector MCT-30 combat module with a 30 mm automatic cannon. Also, an anti-tank complex, MANPADS and a variety of reconnaissance equipment can be installed on the machine. Howe claims that Textron is ready to create a larger machine based on the presented prototype.
General Dynamics Land Systems also presented at AUSA-2019 the design of its TL1 tracked combat robot. However, the sample was made in the layout. The developer did not disclose the performance characteristics of the machine. According to media reports, the product is armed with the same combat module as the brainchild of Textron.
In March, Defense News, citing U.S. Brigadier General David Lesprans, reported that in the fiscal year 2020, U.S. enterprises must submit the first prototypes of their military vehicles to the military.
In addition to the RCV-Medium, the United States Armed Forces should receive lightened and heavier versions of this BMP. According to the conditions of the Pentagon, the overall dimensions of all three robots will allow them to be transported in the cargo compartments of transport aircraft. It is assumed that RCV-Light (light) can fit in a helicopter, RCV-Medium - in a Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft, RCV-Heavy (heavy) - in a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.
The Pentagon plans that the shortcomings discovered during the testing of military vehicles will be finally eliminated in 2024, which will allow the delivery of robots to the army. The development of ground-based unmanned combat vehicles by the American troops, as expected by the US Department of Defense, will be completed by 2028.
- Fighting vehicle Ripsaw M5
- © Textron
On theater, unmanned vehicles will have to expand the combat capabilities of the infantry and armored units of the US Armed Forces, according to the Pentagon.
It follows from Lesprance’s statement that the Robotic Combat Vehicle family should be not just a replacement for the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M1 Abrams tank, which are currently being modernized, but “something completely new and innovative.” At the same time, he refused to answer the question of whether new weapons are being developed as a direct replacement for the two above-mentioned combat vehicles.
In turn, experts believe that the upgrade of the armored fleet launched by the Pentagon will not bring tangible results, since the M2 Bradley and M1 Abrams are designed on platforms that are outdated to date.
In an interview with RT, Sergey Suvorov, Ph.D. in military sciences, suggested that the modernization of the M2 Bradley and M1 Abrams was designed to keep afloat some of the US and foreign defense companies. For example, in a difficult financial situation is the Lima Army Tank Plant - the manufacturer M1 Abrams. The company has not received orders for the production of tanks for more than ten years.
“In my opinion, Americans need to invest not in modernization, but in the creation of completely new designs. The same M1 Abrams has a number of critical shortcomings that no modernization will already fix. In particular, this is a whimsical gas-turbine power plant and a prohibitively high dependence of the crew on electronic controls, ”said Suvorov.
“Unanswered Questions”
Russia is also working on projects of crewless ground robots. In particular, Uralvagonzavod is creating a robotic complex based on the T-72BZ tank and is exploring the possibility of developing an Armata T-14 tankless tank.
Now the largest autonomous combat vehicle of the Russian Federation is the Whirlwind reconnaissance and strike complex. The 15-ton product was developed on the basis of the BMP-3. The device is equipped with a 2A72 30-mm automatic gun, the Kornet-M anti-tank missile system, and a 7.62-mm PKTM machine gun. The Whirlwind is controlled by an operator, which can be located at a distance of up to 20 km from the robot.
In a conversation with RT, a military expert Alexei Khlopotov called promising research and development (R&D) in the field of crewless tracked vehicles. According to him, robots will reduce human losses in the theater of war, be able to break through the enemy’s defenses, destroy tanks and other ground targets. At the same time, the analyst drew attention to many problems that cannot be solved by engineers of any country in the world in the foreseeable future.
“The main obstacle is the way to manage. Remote control is via a radio or laser channel. Signal transmission can be relatively easily interrupted by the adversary. In addition, a disconnection may occur due to natural barriers and weather conditions. Using a remote control method in real battle is a very risky event, ”the expert stated.
At the same time, as Khlopotov explained, the current level of development of artificial intelligence technologies does not allow developing a device completely independent of humans. Despite the efforts of scientists, the revolution in this area will not come soon, the expert predicts.
“If modern ground-based robotic systems are left without human control, they most likely will not navigate the terrain. It is also unclear whether computer intelligence will be able to separate its from strangers and, in principle, accurately hit targets. How morally and technically acceptable is it that the decision to open fire is made by the machine, and not by the person? So far, these questions remain unanswered, ”says Khlopotov.
- U.S. Army Unmanned Robotic System
- © US Marine Corps / Lance Cpl. Rhita daniel
The expert believes that the Pentagon posed unrealistic tasks for the US defense industry. He recalled that in the late 2000s, Americans closed a similar Future Combat System program, which involved the development of new models of armored vehicles, artillery systems and unmanned ground vehicles.
“Americans need to be more modest with ambitious plans in the field of robotics. Moreover, they have already been burned more than once. What the Pentagon is broadcasting now resembles bluffing or misinformation. The result that the US military wants to get cannot be achieved by 2030. The announced R&D on the Robotic Combat Vehicle is only work for the distant future, ”summed up Khlopotov.