US tests robot-controlled tank

The US Army will begin testing robotic crew support on M1 Abrams tanks, M113 armored vehicles and Humvee armored vehicles from 2017.

The M1 Abrams will be the first vehicle to test robotic control technology. Photo: Wikiwand

The robotic crew testing will be conducted at Benning Air Force Base in Georgia, USA. The first phase will be M1 Abrams tanks, with M113 and Humvee armored vehicles joining in later stages, Sputnik reported on December 30.

The Pentagon hopes to deploy semi-autonomous crews by 2023, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by 2035. These systems have unprecedented information processing capabilities, helping to reduce the workload of soldiers on the battlefield. It also ensures the continuity of operations of the military, increasing maneuverability on the battlefield.

The move follows the successful model of the US Air Force, which is using semi-autonomous vehicles such as the RQ-7 Shadow and MQ-1C Gray Eagle for reconnaissance support missions, accompanied by Apache attack helicopter squadrons.

The project’s primary goal is to increase the situational awareness of armored vehicles and infantry support without adding new unit structures. But that could be a much bigger challenge than the Air Force’s model.

The US military is looking to replace human loaders with mechanical systems that would free up the loaders to operate reconnaissance drones. The Pentagon has developed an automatic tank loader, but has never used it in practice.

According to VNE