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Private companies will put their most rugged and sophisticated land drones to the test in a high-tech demonstration that will have a Great Plains landscape looking like a scene from “The Terminator.”
The Defense Department organized its Groundreaker 1 event to put industry-built robotic vehicles through their paces as part of broader push by the U.S. military to add uncrewed systems to their fleets.
The Joint Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) demonstration is set for mid-October at the Army National Guard installation at Camp Grafton in North Dakota, a sprawling 11,000-acre facility near the Canadian border. It’s part of an effort to speed land drone development after stunning advances in the air and sea that are swiftly reshaping the battlefield.
“The most important thing is the feedback loop between the military and the producers,” said Federico Borsari, a fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis who is based in France who studies drones and other technological advancements.
The Pentagon announced the contract Aug. 21, designated for “selected vendors,” in order to “accelerate the expansion of the Ground Domain.” DefenseScoop reported on the contract.
UGVs are already proving vital to both sides in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Troops use them to deliver supplies, provide reconnaissance, and evacuate casualties – and even act as “mother ships” to carry aerial drones into the battlefield.
Kiev last month showed off a drone parade, even as the Pentagon announced it was disbanding an experimental Unmanned Assault Batallion.
US law enforcement is finding new ways to put drones to use here at home.
The Army wants contractors to showcase land drones that can do surveillance, haul supplies, do search and rescue, secure a perimeter, and provide “other capabilities,” according to the notice. It wants “all terrain mobility” and “obstacle avoidance.” Drones are being eyed for tasks that endanger troops, such as pilot rescues.
The latest advances in Artificial Intelligence have developers “thinking about future UGVs that are bigger in size that can be used as unmanned fighting vehicles and for many other missions, Borsari said. That includes protecting them from jamming or having their signal intercepted by creating “fully autonomous” land drones, he said.
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