Military Technology 06/2021

Interview MT 6/2021 · 73 “machines will take the place of humans maneuvering through the most dangerous avenues of approach, and will make contact with likely threats without costing commanders valuable soldiers.” With that in mind, we believe that autonomous technology could cer- tainly change the future of warfare, giving warfighters more freedom of maneuver. MilTech: Is the user/market ready for true autonomy? John Beck: Ultimately, autonomous technology is being designed with the warfighter in mind, with the overall goal of protecting users from threats by removing them from the vehicle entirely. Furthermore, autono- mous technology can provide 24-hour security and surveillance, reducing human error and allowing the warfighter to rest. As with any new product or technology, we imagine there will be a learning curve and user trust concerns. These will both evolve with time and more interaction. Oshkosh is actively working with industry and our US military customers to embrace and implement adherence to safety standards, such as ANSI/UL 4600, aimed at validating the ability of au- tonomous systems to perform safely and as intended. MilTech: What are the major obstacles and/or hurdles you need to overcome? John Beck: There are similar obstacles among all ground vehicles, in- cluding UGVs. Cybersecurity threats have evolved immensely over the last decade, as the volume and complexity of vehicle technologies have continued to increase. The impact of a successful cyber attack varies, depending on the mission of the vehicle. Therefore, some missions have a greater likelihood that an adversary will attempt to attack a vehicle. In alignment with the Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) and the Security Requirements Guides (SRGs), Oshkosh Defense designs its cybersecurity systems to make it more difficult for adversaries to compro- mise those systems and reduce mission readiness. We also work closely with our government customers as they conduct their own cybersecurity testing and risk mitigation. Extreme environments, or areas where GPS is unavailable or denied, may also be a threat to UGVs. Oshkosh autonomous technology can perform in both environments without reliance on an established infra- structure. The vehicles use a combination of cameras, radars, and LIDAR to localize themselves, sense any environmental landmarks and transfer data to other vehicles. This reduces reliance on GPS signal presence or integrity. Furthermore, Oshkosh Defense vehicles are designed to func- tion in the most challenging of environments while traversing some of the world’s most challenging terrain. Lastly, liability concerns may also pose a threat to the development of autonomous technology. If an unmanned ground vehicle were to cause an in- cident, laws or restrictions could be put in place, which would require technology modifications or could slow down development. MilTech: Where next? John Beck: Through internal research and devel- opment, collaboration with industry, academia, and warfighter feedback, UGV and autonomous tech- nology has evolved immensely over the past dec- ades. With further investment, it will only continue to evolve and mature. Designed, engineered and built by Oshkosh, the TerraMax multi-modal sensor suite is fully integrated into a vehicle in order to minimize system vulnerability, to enable independent navigation and ‘follow-me’ convoy capabilities. (Photo: Oshkosh Defense) MilTech: How far down the true autonomy route are you? Follow-me, MUM-T, overwatch, unattended ground sensor role etc? John Beck: Oshkosh Defense has over a decade of experience devel- oping leader-follower technology with the US Army’s AGR and ExLF programs, referred to above. This technology has also been successfully transitioned to the US Marine Corps’ ROGUE Fires program. Furthermore, Pratt Miller has significant experience in vehicle robotics and autonomy, as demonstrated in the EMAV, RCV-L and other robot- ic platforms. Pratt Miller developed the EMAV in collaboration with the MCWL, and the company leverages that platform for the current phase of the US Army’s RCV-L program. MilTech: What are the biggest lessons you have learned on this journey? How have they informed continued development? John Beck: We collaborate with our military customer to understand and analyze the challenges they face and explore solutions. This collaboration allows Oshkosh to apply next-generation defense technologies and ad- vanced systems like autonomy to our vehicles, in order to meet the US military’s requirements and modernization needs. Much like the technology itself, Oshkosh Defense has evolved and ma- tured its design, engineering, and processes over the past decade. We can attribute this to the following lessons learned: • The first is the importance of engaging the test and safety community early in the requirements-gathering phase, and continually throughout the development process. Candid and transparent two-way dialog en- sures our adherence to safety guidelines, and contributes to a robust design; • The second is the importance of warfighter feedback throughout the development and testing process. Warfighters provide invaluable real-world insights and experiences. Capturing and addressing this information allows us to tailor our products for each specific mission; • Lastly, we’ve learned to design user-friendly interfaces that are easy to understand, and provide relevant and actionable information. MilTech: UGVs – the future of warfare or still just a useful adjunct? The CARMEL/ATHENA programme under way in Israel, for example, is a useful illustration of the former attitude. Where does Oshkosh Defense see the future? John Beck: It’s hard to know what the future holds. However, we see the US Army actively pursuing autonomous technology. In 2017, the Army released its Robotic and Autonomous Systems Strategy, which outlines the near- (2017-2020), mid- (2021-2030) and long- (2031-2040) term ob- jectives. As part of the long-term objective, the RAS strategy notes that f