The US Army is considering the implementation of a drone and robotics platoon within its armored brigade combat teams, as per announcements made at a recent AUSA Global Force conference.
The idea is currently under review at the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth for potential integration into the service’s future design. The platoons, if approved, would mark a significant leap in the use of robotic systems, particularly ground robots. The Army currently maintains 11 active and five national guard armored brigade combat teams, which could possibly each house one of these innovative platoons.
The use of robots in combat scenarios is not a new idea; both quadruped robots, or 'robot dogs', and drones have undergone extensive testing in the past. The technology for ground robots, however, has been slower to progress due to difficulties in obstacle detection and communication with controllers. Despite these challenges, Ukraine and Russia have successfully deployed drones and ground robots for various mission types.
Two existing RAS (robotic and autonomous systems) platoons, one in the 82nd Airborne and one experimental unit in the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence, recently displayed their abilities at Project Convergence, a technology testing event. And while there are some hurdles to overcome—such as spectrum allocation for military operations and achieving sufficient autonomy in the robotic systems—the potential for lifesaving benefits is significant. Travis Thompson, deputy director of Army Futures Command’s Soldier Lethality Cross Functional Team, encapsulates it best: “We’re talking about trading steel for lives.”
This was originally reported by Defense One. Click the link below to read the original article.
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