Combines Artificial Intelligence with Robotic Brawn

The British armed forces have ordered four MISSION MASTER unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) from Rheinmetall, the company announced on 16 April. The order was placed at the end of last year and will be delivered this spring.

Configured for the cargo role, the UGVs will form part of the UK MoD’s Robotic Platoon Vehicle programme, which aims at determining the extent to which unmanned vehicles can boost the combat effectiveness and capabilitis of dismounted troops at the platoon level.

The order includes two stretcher systems, which can be fitted to the vehicle in under one minute, plus training, spares and service support. Rheinmetall Canada will supply the vehicles, with Rheinmetall BAE Land Systems providing on-location support.

The discipline of robotics is changing the modern battlefield: MISSION MASTER, combining artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic brawn, enhances combat performance in numerous ways, removing a variety of dull, dangerous and/or dirty tasks from troops‘ responsibilities and thus allowing them to focus on their core mission. The cargo variant reduces the physical burden on dismounted troops, boosting mobility and efficiency, shouldering up to 500kg of supplies, equipment or medical supplies due to its flexible storage concept and robust design.

Operating in semi- or fully-autonomous mode as a fully-fledged combat team member, MISSION MASTER is designed for maximum flexibility and can be readily and rapidly adapted to w aide range of missions thanks to quikly-installed modular add-ons. Potential applications include surveillance, protection, casualty evacuation, firefighting and CBRN reconnaissance and detection. It can also serve as a mobile radio relay station.